YuGiOh!: The Shaman Tournament
by YamiUmiRyu
Summary: COMATOSE FIC
1. Crossroads

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Shaman Tournament  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any references or characters that are familiar in Shaman King & Yu-Gi-Oh! However I do own most references to Silenced Legacy like the OCards bio.  
  
Just to have some fun, each of the chapters of 'Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Shaman Tournament' will be featuring an OCard from 'Silenced Legacy.' Just for some and see some positive and negative aspects of the cards. So as for the first chapter of 'YGO: The Shaman Tournament,' here is a very useful card:  
  
Raikoukou of the Blue Lightning (First Appearance- #17: Miran's Army, Part 2)  
  
Beast/Light, LV 6/ ATK 2200/ DEF 1900, Effect  
  
If your opponent has any DARK monsters on his/her side of the field, you can Special Summon this monster from you hand without a Tribute. While this card is face-up on the field, destroy all DARK monsters.  
  
A decent offensive monster with a powerful effect. Like the Fiend Megacyber, Raikoukou can be summoned without a Tribute on certain conditions. Though much easier since Dark Monsters are common in decks no matter how they're put together. And while it's face-up on the field, monsters like Chaos Emperor Dragon and Jinzo wouldn't even dare to come forth, and Vampire Lord might as well stay in the Graveyard.  
  
The only negative characteristic to using this Thor Yo-ko (Fox-demon) is the risk of your own Dark monsters, except the usefulness for Witch of the Black Forest and Sangan. Another would be its rule of 'No Dark Monsters allowed,' including itself. Played with a Dark-altered DNA Transplant or pitted with Scroll of Bewitchment and Raikoukou will become the useless one.  
  
BlakDragon's OCard rating: 4/5. Overall, this fox can clinch victory against any opposition. Jinzo and Dark Ruler Ha Des fear to come against this monster. Its prime weakness could only be Scroll of Bewitchment and DNA Transplant, but who in their right mind could and would use such cards?  
  
Now without further ado, I proceed with the YGO/Shaman crossover that has been in my mind for eternity and will soon come to text.

* * *

Chapter 1- Crossroads  
  
Just an afternoon in a city only twenty-five miles from Tokyo, a Jr. High student made a pace of himself down the streets of a new town. Wearing a white T-shirt, green jeans, and weights strapped on his wrists and ankles with his black hair bouncing under his headset, blocking out the cars running by with even louder music.  
  
Bicycling next to him was another kid but extremely short in stature with ginger-colored hair circling flat on his head and wearing his school uniform addressed in Tokyo. "Yoh, I don't recognize this part of town. Are you sure this is the new route Anna said you had to train by?"  
  
"Well, this is where ghosts are leading me." Yoh panted and tried to look around under the sweat growing on his face, "At least I think they are." He stopped and looked around the buildings, including one that seemed to overlook the city, covered in windows with the letters 'KC' in red and yellow paint. "Okay, I guess we're not in Tokyo anymore, time for a break, Manta." Yoh smiled, care-free nonetheless, and grabbed himself a bottle of water at a nearby restaurant.  
  
Out of nowhere, another figure made himself visible. His muscles were noticeable under the white shroud over his shoulders and wearing lengths of armor on his arms and legs. Concluding it was his long white ponytail tying some of his messy hair back and a gentle but rugged face. As a ghost, he appeared nearly transparent.  
  
"Hey Amidamaru." Yoh greeted casually to his ghost ally.  
  
"Yoh, I think we should go back. I'm getting a bad feeling about this place." The Samurai warned.  
  
"Huh?" Yoh made another round of observation. People lined the sidewalks, cars created traffic jams, and kids packed in their favorite restaurants and game stores. "Nonsense, it looks pretty normal to me. And I doubt Ren has even followed us here. Just relax Amidamaru."  
  
"So now what do we do? We can't call Anna to come get us when she doesn't know where we are." Manta advised, earning Yoh an even wider smile.  
  
"I like the way you think, Manta." Yoh snickered and gulped half the bottle, "If Anna doesn't know where we are, she doesn't know if I'm training or not. Yahoo, I'm off the hook! Let's check this place out!" Yoh got to his feet and headed for one of the game stores. Amidamaru vanished from sight and retreated into a black piece of wood on Yoh's jeans.  
  
Looking over anyone's shoulders and underfoot, Yoh and Manta saw what nearly every crowd had: trading cards. Playable in a game called Duel Monsters. They both asked around and ended up with the same explanation.  
  
"Where do you come from? Seto Kaiba just finished his Battle City Tournament," One of them crowed in a rough voice. In coordination to his attitude, he wore a red cap over his brown hair and lavender bangs along with khaki-colored jeans and vest over his green shirt. "And there were monsters like none you've ever seen. I mean, if you've seen any at all. You two don't look like much of Duelists. But allow me to introduce myself; I'm Rex Raptor, Dino Duelist and runner-up in the regional."  
  
"Duelists?" Yoh, Amidamaru, and Manta stood blankly, with the thought of a real duel using two handguns. "What do the trading cards have to do with Dueling?"  
  
"Ah!" Rex cried with frustration, "You two must have been in another world to not know this! I'm outta here! I can't be seen with losers like you!" Rex stormed out on them. Yoh and his friends still stood in uttered confusion.  
  
"What kind of place is this Yoh?" Manta muttered and was suddenly lost in the crowd, "Hey, Yoh, where are ya?" He looked around and saw Yoh leave the store, "Wait for me!" Manta skittered out on his tiny legs and got out of there in one piece.  
  
Minutes passed and the two made it to a quieter spot of the town. The buildings converged into houses sitting along streets of a neighborhood. However, the plain colors of everyday homes, one stood out with flashes of day glow orange and greens and 'GAME' in red letters on the roof. "Are these things everywhere?" Yoh commented.  
  
"Well, it doesn't look packed. Maybe we can find out what game has this city crawling with these Duelists." Manta followed while walking his bike up to the small shop.  
  
They just stopped in the front when they saw a group coming in from the opposite direction. Yoh and Manta just went in to the shop anyway. As they thought, it was small and empty, with only an old man's voice under the counter. "Hello?" Yoh called out and someone came to answer. He was a little shorter than Yoh with gray for hair and beard, and blazing purple eyes under an orange cap.  
  
"Well, you two look new here." He commented.  
  
"Yeah, well, we are." Yoh made his first impression, though slightly embarrassed for first words, "My name's Yoh and this is my friend Manta. We've kinda got lost from Tokyo and wound up here."  
  
"Well, I'm Solomon Motou-from Tokyo?! That's miles away from here!" The old man looked surprised, "Unless you took bus, I'd understand."  
  
"No, I ran." Yoh kept his care-free attitude then looked calm but serious, "You're the owner of this game shop, right?"  
  
"Eh hem, yes, I am." Solomon calmed himself down, "Why do you ask?"  
  
"I'd like to know how to play the card game that's sweeping the city here." Yoh requested and Solomon got to the point.  
  
"Well, Yoh. Duel Monsters is a very complex game and it'll take time to even figure out the theme you best play with." He began, "But if you really want to know how to play, I'll be happy to teach you the basics." Solomon agreed and laid out a variety of cards on the glass counter.  
  
Solomon was ready to begin an explanation when the doorbell chimed and entered in the group of four came through, one being as short as Manta. "More Duelists, Grandpa?" the short one asked curiously. Yoh was more curious; the short one had brown spikes of hair behind blonde bangs and the same purple irises, but also a faint image of a fifth person that looked like him but appeared older.  
  
"Yugi, I welcome Yoh and Manta. Yoh would like to know how to play Duel Monsters. I guess it hasn't caught on in Tokyo." Solomon commented and looked to Yoh. "Yoh, I'd like to meet my Grandson and Battle City Champion, Yugi, and his friends, Tea, Tristan, and Joey." He made the formal introductions.  
  
"And who's the fifth one?" Yoh asked with everyone looking blankly.  
  
"There's only four here, Yoh. Do you need glasses?"  
  
"No, I see the fifth one perfectly clear." Yoh said. Solomon muttered something about inventory and left to the back of the store, leaving the six to get acquainted.  
  
"Wait, you can see Yami?" Yugi asked Yoh.  
  
"Clear as crystal, so you're a Shaman?" Yoh asked after his answer, obviously leaving everyone out but them.  
  
"I don't know what a Shaman is, but Yami is a good friend."  
  
"Well then that makes two of us. Amidamaru is my ghost ally." Yoh smiled and held out the black wood tablet. "Come on out Amidamaru."  
  
"Eh, man. I hate ghosts." Joey shuddered, exposing his cowardice despite his New-York look and accent.  
  
"Don't be silly," Manta responded, "Amidamaru's nice, despite he's a 600 year-old Samurai." Joey just shuddered until he was stiff.  
  
"I'm sure we'll get along just fine. But I haven't seen you around here, where did you come from?" Yugi continued questioning.  
  
"Tokyo, but I'd like to know how to play your card game, Duel Monsters I think?" Yoh asked.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Yeah, maybe someone I can finally beat." Joey commented, "Eh, no offense, Yoh. I've taken Gramp's training and I, well, I thank him for it."  
  
"None taken. In fact, if you want training, you should see Anna." Yoh replied and undid one of the weights around his wrists, "Ten pounds each, and I run in them constantly."  
  
"What training is this?" Joey couldn't really hold the weight with one hand.  
  
"For the Tournament I plan to enter, the Shaman Tournament."  
  
"Another Duel tournament?" Tea asked with queried blue eyes and short, brown hair.  
  
"It's nothing like that; it's a tournament I fight in with my ally, Amidamaru." Yoh placed his tablet on the shelf and resumed his hobby-talks compared to Yugi's.  
  
"Wait, so you use spirits in fights?" Joey looked somewhat confused.  
  
"That's right. And it's in these fights that strong alliances are formed." Yoh replied.  
  
"I don't think I like the sound of this..." Yugi tried to drive off the subject, "Then again I had my share of spirit problems."

* * *

It was a stable-living inn in Tokyo in the evening. Spirits drifted around like soft breezes. Inside was lit brilliantly by running electricity, but there was hardly any movement in the halls. In the living room, a television ran highlights of a tournament not far from Tokyo, a Duel monsters Tournament. The only living occupant watched and flipped through a magazine. With the luxuries, she still looked bored and wore just a black dress that reached down to her knees, a blue-beaded necklace double-looped around her neck and blonde hair draped behind her.  
  
The clock rang out eight o'clock and chimed the signature bells. She closed her magazine and turned off the TV by the remote.  
  
"He's late."

* * *

"Oh yeah?" Yoh took off the rest of his weights to keep his balance and dropped them to the floor, each with a straight-out thud.  
  
"That Marik guy, his darker half was insane." Tristan emphasized.  
  
"He was no ordinary spirit." Yugi added on, "He wanted to destroy the world."  
  
"Heh, he probably would have made an opponent in the Shaman Fights." Yoh commented, again everyone stared like they couldn't believe him.  
  
"Yoh, I'd take his word if that guy was dangerous!" Manta panicked.  
  
"Yugi, by any chance can you show me this spirit that pretty much threatened to destroy the world?" Yoh asked with a stale calm face, "He couldn't be that bad. We've have this threat every 500 years."  
  
"What?!" The gang cried in surprise.  
  
"I guess you don't know about the Shaman Tournaments. Well, they're a lot more serious than your Duel Monsters Tournaments. Since it happens every 500 years, the fate of the world is the stake every time." Yoh began to go through one of his rare genius moments, "It's the story I hear from my grandfather. I've been training for this since I was ten years old. The Shaman Tournaments are competitions to decide who the Shaman King is. It's a tough competition, you have to learn to control your spirit and act as one."  
  
"Control your spirit?" Yugi and Yami shared the same concern.  
  
"Yeah, if I'd have my sword, I'd show you Oversoul." Yoh answered and was about to resume when Solomon came back through the door.  
  
"Well, you all seem interested in some friends." He chuckled and saw behind the group a silhouette at the door. "My. Another one."  
  
The door opened with its usual welcoming ring, but the visitor wasn't in a welcoming attitude. It was her al'right, with a long orange bag slung over her shoulder and a red bandana covering her head.  
  
"Aw man..." Yoh grumbled. As he saw the one he mentioned as Anna.  
  
"I appreciated that you ran the first twenty-five miles," She said in a soft but stern voice, "now how about running the twenty-five back!"  
  
"Who's she?" Tristan edged over the midget Manta.  
  
"She's..." he gulped, "Anna."

* * *

Well, that's it for Chapter one. As for further into it, the story is as dark as the Shadow Realm; so the readers and reviewers shall decide: Will Yoh become a Duelist and enter the upcoming Duelist Tournament, or will Anna train Yugi and bring about his entry into the Shaman Tournament? 


	2. Sign of the End

Well, this is something, three reviews for one chapter in one day (noted, personal record). Well anyway, another useful Silenced Legacy card would be the Bomberman Parody Bolban.  
  
Bolban (First Appearance- #20 Bowler's Vengeance, Part 2)  
  
Rock/Earth, LV 6/ ATK 2500/ DEF 1200, Effect  
  
When this monster attacks, switch it to defense mode after the Damage Step. If this monster is sent to the Graveyard, discard one monster card from your hand to Special Summon it back to the field in face-up attack mode or defense mode.  
  
Yet another decent monster for sacrificing; or for better, Graceful Charity then discard a card to summon it. Bolban's a supped up version of Spear Dragon, except for the deductions when the monster is in defense mode. This cannon sphinx is gonna be a lot harder to destroy than Vampire Lord; in any case it goes to the Graveyard, it comes back.  
  
There are hardly any drawbacks to using this card. This card would actually be useful to summon Exodia Necross or even those monsters that require removal from the Graveyard. Hello Chaos Emperor Dragon. The only backfire would be a card that'll remove Bolban from play entirely.  
  
BlakDragon's OCard Rating: 5/5. This card would be perfect for a beatdown or stock-piled decks, though rarely with Exodia decks unless it'll be guarding the Life Points. But hey, you try to play against Bolban on Bomberman Hero and see how easy he is to defeat.

* * *

Chapter 2- Sign of the End  
  
"Well, do you want to tell me why you're not back at home to fix dinner?" Anna demanded angrily at Yoh. Everyone was slightly shaken by Anna and her commanding chaos after she came in the last twenty seconds.  
  
"Is that his sister?" Tristan tried to get answers from Manta, but he was as stiff as a statue.  
  
"More like...his fiancé." Manta muttered.  
  
"Tokyo just keeps getting stranger to me." Joey commented, "You two engaged at your age?"  
  
"Long story," Anna said coldly, "Come on Yoh, you still have twenty-five miles to run back. If I don't see you by midnight, you'll be sleeping outside tonight and I don't mean in the hot tub! And you can use Harusame for a pillow." Anna dropped the orange bag and stormed out to a taxi. She got in and left the front of the store.  
  
"That was Anna?" Joey pointed to the witch that just left.  
  
"Yep, I have to put up with that everyday." Yoh answered in again his care- free attitude.  
  
"You mean you're not going to run back to Tokyo?" Manta asked.  
  
"Nah, I can't possibly run the 25-miles back in four hours." Yoh sighed, "And I don't have money to bunk in a hotel. Mr. Motou, do you mind if I spend one night here."  
  
"Huh?" Solomon looked at him confused.  
  
"Please." Yoh pleaded on his knees and a mock-grateful smile. "Please let me spend the night and teach me how to play Duel Monsters?"  
  
"Sure, no problem." Solomon smiled, "Perhaps we can get you to be as good as at least Joey here." Solomon began to explain to Asakura the cards and soon Yoh was given his choice to make his deck.  
  
"Hm, spirits..." Yoh muttered and pulled his cards including the essentials.  
  
"You sure you have this game down?" Yugi browsed over his shoulder as Yoh collected some of his spell cards such as Groundbreaking and Kaiser Coliseum.  
  
"Or at least what the cards are, maybe when I begin playing I can see what I can really do." Yoh smiled and gathered up the rest of his cards from traps, "Well, there are forty cards. Now I think it's my turn to give you a hint of my hobby. Hey Tea, hand me that bag over there?"  
  
"Uh, sure." Tea nodded and tipped off the bag to Yoh.  
  
"We're gonna have to go outside for this." Yoh suggested and everyone fled out of the shop. For being eight-thirty at night, the sky was only an orange glow, enough for Yoh to be seen with his bag.  
  
"So uh, what's Radiohead going ta pull?" Joey asked Manta.  
  
"It's his Oversoul. Harusame's in his bag."  
  
"Now what is a Harusame?" Joey jumped. Manta just pointed and saw Yoh grab a thin samurai blade out of the bag and held it out in front of him with the blade pointing to the sky and the wooden tablet in his other hand.  
  
"Amidamaru, spirit form!" Yoh declared and flung the tablet out of his hand. In his palm was a blue fire that formed from ribbons of flame ejected from the tablet. "Into the spirit sword!" He continued and swung the flame into the hilt of the sword. The blue flames consumed the sword and steadily burned but didn't disintegrate the sword or even heat like the intensity of a regular fire.  
  
"Whoa, how can Yoh hold that!?" Tristan jumped with Joey's shock.  
  
"This is Oversoul, concentration of mana in an item. Mine is enough to deal some heavy blows." Yoh briefed and swung the sword around, the flames following the blade.  
  
"I thought that was you, Yoh Asakura!" A girl's voice came about. By hearing it, Yoh sought riryoku in this one. Coming from the streets first like a light of a motorcycle but the engine was roaring, instead it was a glow coming from an animal spirit; a relatively large white fox with blue stripes assorted on its body and nine tails following it in the wind.  
  
Behind the fox were two characters, one dressed with a silk vest that overlaid a black outfit, which stretched on her body to the boot-cut ankles and elbow-sleeves. She had a sword sheath on her left side, a glass-beaded necklace around her neck, and two memorial tablets each strapped to a forearm. Concluded were her traditional red streaks on her hair, symbolizing her great power in fighting.  
  
Beside her was the renowned American Duel champion of the Dragon Class with his usual blonde spikes and laid-back attire of a loose shirt and jeans. He seemed as cocky as Joey yet as confident as Mai.  
  
"So you've heard of me?" Yoh asked one of the three that came by. The blue flame faded off his sword as Amidamaru escaped the Oversoul.  
  
"Yoh, they are another two of my friends, Miranda Guinaldo and Kevin Hunter, and Miranda's spirit ally, Raikoukou." Yugi introduced them. Again with the ghost sightings as Yoh saw another Miranda only older, much as the same case as Yugi. A third spirit was faintly visible, though it seemed restrained somehow.  
  
"And who are your spirit allies?" Yoh wanted the introductions.  
  
"Well, the female Samurai is Mirandragon, Miran for short." Miranda showed Yoh the memorial tablet on her left arm. The faint image of Miran stepped forward, Amidamaru instantly charmed by her.  
  
"And what about the memorial tablet coveted in those beads?" Yoh pointed to her left arm, wrapped in purple beads. She looked to it nervously.  
  
"This would be Yami Marik who threaten to destroy the world in the recent Dueling tournament." She answered, making Manta jump as memory served.  
  
"Yoh, I think that's the spirit Yugi was talking about!" He cried and cowered behind Yoh.  
  
"Interesting." Yoh did seem interested in the female spiritualist. "Well, maybe I can get my rounds with him in. Come on, fight me with Yami Marik as your spirit ally."  
  
"OK, Yoh, you just went to your head." Miranda got startled. "You don't know how many memorial tablets this guy's broken out of before I discovered these beads held him inside. If I remove the beads, it's Battle City all over again."  
  
"It's his request, not mine. I'll take his challenge." The left-handed tablet vibrated.  
  
"I know you will, but not now." Miranda refused to Yami Marik. "I'm sorry, Yoh. But for the sake of this city's safety, I can't release Yami Marik."  
  
"OK, if you say so." Yoh shrugged. Everyone else seemed relieved. Yoh took his look past the striped fox and towards Kevin. "And does it seem coincidence I see you with her? What, your girlfriend?" Kevin tried to look offended, but ended up blushing.  
  
"She's not. She's just a friend who I met in Battle City." He answered. Raikoukou's ears perked up and the fox looked ahead past Yugi and Yoh. "Hey Fox, what's up?"  
  
'Someone's coming.' Raikoukou answered as the sound grew louder as galloping hooves. Yoh turned in the direction of the sound's source and saw a strong white steed in the distance.  
  
"Well, you've met Anna, my trainer, now me my rival." Yoh introduced as the horse slammed its hooves to a stop. Miran and Yami Yugi looked ready to pull switches with their host while the figure riding the horse was in shadow.  
  
"Yoh Asakura, I didn't expect to see you this far south. But I see you've run across a couple more Shamans." He said with a hint of an English accent in his voice. The rider jumped off the horse and uncovered himself from the black cloak, revealing another kid probably no older than Yoh with black lying hair except a point from the back of his head, yellow iris eyes, and carrying a bladed staff probably twice as long as his height.  
  
"And who might this be?" Miranda folded her arms over, not the least bit intimidated by his spirit ally of a Chinese Warlord.  
  
"I am Ren Tao, and I claim your ghost in a Shaman Fight." Ren pointed to Miranda and charged forward with his cleaver ready to attack.  
  
"Miranda, watch out!" Manta warned. The three evaded Ren's first charge as he went in for Miranda. She managed to dodge both of his attacks and landed in a squatting position away from Ren.  
  
"Man, what is your deal?" Miranda mumbled and dodged a leg sweep from Ren.  
  
"Pretty quick, but let's see your spirit ally in action. Bason, spirit form!" Ren announced as his warlord ghost shifted to a red spirit flame. "Into the cleaver!" He forced his Oversoul and added heat to his weapon.  
  
"Very well, but I have several." Miranda barely evaded another attack in a backward flip with one hand and pulled a third memorial tablet from her left forearm band. "Kikaita, spirit form! Into the Sword!" Miranda unveiled a gold sword with an eye on the hilt. Kikaita as a white flame flashed into the sword and added three white triangles rotating around the blade along with a white burning flame.  
  
"What is this?" Solomon jumped.  
  
"I'd take a few steps back." Yoh advised and leaned on his sword like a walking stick. "Fights like this come with some damage."  
  
"Then get them away from my store!" Solomon demanded.  
  
In the fray, it appeared as a standstill when Miranda conjured her own Oversoul. "What is with those triangles circling your blade?" Ren asked as his cleaver still burned with a gold flame.  
  
"It'd be the Zodiac element of my mother's. Sometimes blood is thicker than flame." Miranda responded and the triangles rotated faster until Miranda looked like she held a tornado in her hand. "Raikoukou, give me a barrier around Ren and me." The fox obeyed and created a semi-sphere barrier of blue lightning.  
  
"What is this for?"  
  
"I'm still kinda rusty when using my mom's spirit for Oversoul, but this should definitely force Bason from the blade." Miranda looked confident. Ren stood off from his fighter stance and smirked.  
  
"Your mother, she'll be weak if she hasn't been a ghost for long. Bason is a Chinese Warlord from the twelfth century." Ren bragged.  
  
"So what, my mother comes from a long line of swordsmen who have had faith under the Zodiacs and the elements. And I'm about to show you what this element of wind can real do." Miranda prepared to throw all she had against him. Ren prepared just the same.  
  
"Then your ghosts are mine! Bason, attack! Rapid Tempo Assault!" Ren announced his attack.  
  
"Kikaita, Zodiac Wind Scar Blade!" Miranda followed and swung fast with the tornado blade. The attack from both fighters bordered Raikoukou's barrier. The barrier was broken, but the worst of it was over. The winds cleared and it appeared both of them were unscathed from the crossfire but breathing laboriously.  
  
"Impressive skills from someone who could deflect Bason's Rapid Tempo." Ren commented and stood up straight.  
  
"And I agree you're the first person to escape one of my Zodiac attacks." Miranda said and stood to her full height. Both at the same time released their Oversouls and their spirits returned to stand beside their hosts. Ren then looked to Yugi.  
  
"I see your spirit ally as well. I've got energy to spare how about a round with you?" Ren asked as he flipped his sword to balance on his shoulders behind his head and relax his hands on the staff.  
  
"What? Me, fight?" Yugi looked startled. Joey and Tristan intercepted with their knuckles cracking.  
  
"How about you fight us before you pick on Yugi?" Joey threatened.  
  
"Yeah?" Tristan followed, "No one messes with our friends. Even if they do have a big...sharp...blade on a stick." Tristan grew nervous when Ren shifted his weapon so the point was inches from his face.  
  
"Ren, wait, I don't know how to fight in these so-called Shaman Fights." Yugi tried to squeeze in between the two. Ren stood his weapon up and examined Yugi.  
  
"That's quite evident. You don't even look like you fight. I've now lost my interest. You, on the other hand," He looked to Miranda, "I'm sure you'll join soon and then we'll fight for real. I'm quite intrigued in seeing what your other spirits can do, including the male that seems strapped down." Ren pointed to Yami Marik's memorial tablet that was wrapped with a necklace threaded of sacred beads. Ren stepped past Yoh and mounted his horse again. The horse snorted as Ren turned it around to face Tokyo.  
  
"Quite a new pack of friends you've made, Asakura. But the Yugi kid needs something better to do than play cards with his spirit." Said Ren before he darted off on his horse with Bason as a red spirit flame behind him. Silence intruded again and everyone was a little shaken from what happened.  
  
"OK, putting it lightly, that's what a Shaman Fight looks like." Yoh said and jumped everyone except Amidamaru, Yami Yugi, and Miran.  
  
With everyone unnoticed, Amidamaru moved to speak with Yami Yugi and Miran. "Miranda proves an expertise to fight with other spirits." Amidamaru complimented to Miran.  
  
"It takes her a while to get used to fighting without me. Heck, in Battle City she had to deal with a psycho spirit." Miran replied.  
  
"Psycho spirit?" Amidamaru question. Miran pointed a finger to the male spirit Ren was referring to earlier.  
  
"But in any case, after Battle City, she knew the only way to keep him out of trouble was to keep him with her, not spiritually connected I mean." Miran explained.  
  
Amidamaru blushed in some embarrassment. "Please forgive me I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Amidamaru, I am Yoh's spirit ally of 600 years." He introduced.  
  
"My name is Mirandragon, Miranda's spirit ally of 5000 years." She answered.  
  
"And I am Yami, Yugi's partner also of 5000 years." Yami introduced himself as well, both making Amidamaru stiff as his own tablet. "Amidamaru?"  
  
"5000 y-years?" He stuttered, "I've never seen female Samurais, especially dating back that far." Miran looked offended and quick of it.  
  
"Tis a little known phrase called 'self-defense,' and I was in service with Pharaoh Yami." Miran briefed. "On top of that, I'll introduce you to Miranda's other spirits." Miran pointed her sword towards her host and the tablets equipped to her forearms. "The fox is Raikoukou of the Blue Lightning, dating well over 5000 years old for being the fox demon it is. There is Kikaita, her mother, dead for nine years. Yami Marik as we call him was the assassin that spared me, also 5000 years, and the necklace houses the spirit of my own mother, Tsunami." Amidamaru was as stiff as the dead and his jaw hanging wide open.  
  
"Those spirits are even older than Bason." Amidamaru stammered.  
  
"Yeah, well, we're all compatible. But we all keep damage control on Yami Marik." Miran sheathed her sword.  
  
Intruding on everyone's conversation, a low flying meteor flew overhead in a display of light and shot past Domino. Everyone appeared shocked except for Yoh. "What...was that?" Manta shook in his little legs.  
  
"So the sign is here and now." Yoh muttered.  
  
"Sign?" Miranda questioned.  
  
"Yep, this is what I've been training for. That shooting star will signal the beginning of the Shaman Tournament." Yoh was about to do another one of his hobby-talks, "Shamans from all over the world will be fighting with everything they have and everything they know. Yugi, Miranda, I hope you get ready, I don't know what in store for any of us. But if anything, one of us will be face Ren in the Shaman Fight." Miranda and Yugi took the thought in, "And maybe you might face me or each other."  
  
"So I'm in the Shaman Tournament?" Yugi questioned Yoh.  
  
"Yep," Yoh answered. The skies soon grew dark and everyone departed from Yugi's house. Yoh instantly made himself at home on Yugi's living room couch and nearly fell asleep when Yugi came in with a phone.  
  
"Uh, Yoh. For you, it's Anna." Yugi laid the phone on the arm of the couch and plugged his ears.  
  
"YOH, YOU LAZY SLOUCH! YOU'RE GOING TO GET TRIPLE MY TRAINING IF YOU DON'T GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!!!" Anna's voice blasted the receiver, jumping Yoh behind the couch.

* * *

"Man, what time is it?" Yoh looked half dead when he saw the clock reading ten p.m.  
  
Miranda, Kevin, and Raikoukou were wandering their way home, cars passing by every so often. Both of them quiet for the first few minutes and Raikoukou treading ahead of them with its tails low as if smelling for someone.  
  
'I smell...perfume.' Raikoukou lifted its head and looked ahead of them, a light was coming up from the road in front of them and stopped. Mai was in alone driving the blue roofless corvette.  
  
"Kevin, Miranda, Rai. What are you three doing out in the dark?" Mai asked.  
  
"We were on are way home." Kevin answered.  
  
"Whatever, little Harpie Brother. Now get in." Mai beckoned and Kevin took the front seat of the car. "Miranda, you need a ride?"  
  
"No thanks, Mai. I'm only five minutes from my house." Miranda replied.  
  
Raikoukou appeared to shrink to the size of a kitten big enough to fit in one hand with its tail count reduced to three. Miranda didn't seem to notice until Raikoukou jumped to rest on her shoulder.  
  
Kevin looked a little startled. "I've never seen Fox do that before."  
  
"It's Raikoukou's form to conserve its energy." Miranda answered.  
  
"Well, see ya later, Miranda. Say goodbye to your girlfriend, Kevin." Mai said before flooring it and roaring up the neighborhood with Kevin screaming louder than the motor.  
  
"She is not my girlfriend!" Kevin cried as the corvette took a sharp turn. Miranda stood for a while, and then turned around and was heading home. She came to her training grounds, which was right next door to the house she moved in right after the Battle City tournament with her aunt and uncle. It was a quarter of an acre wide with hay bails sliced over to piles: her uncle's idea of fertilizing the yard.  
  
"Miranda!" A deep voice bellowed from the roof of her house. "I am Chrom of the Tribe Patch authorizing the Shaman Fight Organization!"  
  
"Shaman Fight Organization?" Miranda stood her ground and Raikoukou growled on her shoulder.  
  
To be continued...

* * *

Well, after much anticipation, (and a week of no-go because of my "infractions" of Virtual World: Rebellion) there's chapter 2 of my crossover fic. Before I close myself into my sanctuary of creative writings and sketches, I'd like to recommend one of my reviewer's-MaxtrixFighter3's- fic, 'Shaman King: Undisputed.' This fic creatively throws in more crossovers such as Rurouni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Inu-Yasha. So, go check it out while you wait for the next chapter to come up. 


	3. Only One Guardian Ghost

Chapter 3- Only One Guardian Ghost

While Yoh had his conflict over the phone with Anna downstairs, Yugi stood awake but not bothered by the argument the floor below. He even heard Solomon trying to keep it down and _tried_ to reason to Anna that Yoh had nothing to get him back to Tokyo. Yami came into a faint image standing off in the corner with a concerned look, "Yugi, something wrong?"

"I'm just thinking what Yoh said about the Shaman Tournament." Yugi answered and plopped on his bed with the chain of the Millennium Puzzle in his hand. "The Tournament is held every 500 years with the world at stake. All these centuries we could have ceased to existed in a matter of seconds."

"We could sit this one out. After all, the Battle City seemed to take it all out of us." Yami still stood off, "On the other hand, we can't let the world be in the crossfire of destruction. According to Yoh, him and Ren will be in this as well, and Miranda appeared more than ready, even holding four spirits and Raikoukou."

"But that's what I'm also worried about, Yami. How can Miranda willingly hold Marik's darker half after the Battle City tournament?" Yugi worried more that sweat slid through his fingers holding his Millennium Item. He soon recalled some of the incidents of his new friend struggling against the dark spirit. "How can Miranda control him when Marik couldn't?"

"I can't say I have the answers, Yugi. But when I asked her the similar question, I got some of the puzzling answers as to anyone who would risk keeping a spirit like that." Yami recalled on his own back to when he was ready to leave the Duel Tower.

It's all about one's emotions and one's past. Marik's darker spirit is his reminder of his abandoned past and revives Marik's resentment towards you.' She answered with the memorial tablet in her grip, This one is persistent to cause damage, especially those that feel their emotions greatly. Marik may not show it, but deep down his heart was being squeezed of his life and his sanity while he was united with his dark spirit. I am through suffering my losses now that I've known both of my parents have cleared their journey so my emotions aren't as strong as they used to. Yami Marik can't feed off of mine because I barely feel anything anymore. I can't afford to'

"Though I was hoping Marik's dark spirit would remain in the Shadow Realm, Miranda has seen before he can enter souls that have strong ties to it." Yami broke the silenced after his flashback, "I'm sure Miranda can secure that dark spirit so he'll never emerge again."

"Maybe you're right. Miranda's tough, knowing she's a Samurai in training. And she'll also have Kikaita, Miran, Raikoukou and Tsunami to help her restrain him." Yugi appeared to calm himself and stare at the ceiling. "The Shaman Tournament…it could be anyone's guess to who wins it." Yugi nearly fell asleep when the argument downstairs blasted in volume and shook the house.

"That wasn't me!" Yoh's voice cried after the explosion of sound. Yugi finally got sense to head downstairs.

"Yoh, can't you just tell Anna you'll be back tomorrow?" Yugi asked as he came into the living room.

"That wasn't me, but someone's been at the door for you." Yoh pointed to the front door where a large towering figure waited in shadow behind the glass. Yugi turned pale at the shadow itself but edged to the door anyway.

"At this hour?" Yugi asked with a trembling voice and opened the door. The one waiting for him now stood under the streetlight, wearing a tan throw with black strip patterns over his body and finished with a red bandanna right over his eyebrows and long black hair tied back in a low ponytail.

"You are Yugi Motou?" He asked in a deep voice.

"I am. Who are you?" Yugi answered and demanded info from his third unknown visitor.

"My name is Ironac of the Patch Tribe. More specifically, I am here to see if you will qualify for the Shaman Tournament." He stated.

"So you're of the Shaman Tournament?" Yugi asked and turned around behind him. Yoh was leaning on the doorway with his arms folded and shrugged his shoulders. "Then what about Yoh, he's aiming to be in this Shaman Tournament."

"Each of us officiates have a list of Shamans we must try for ourselves. Silva had to deal with Yoh, but you're on MY list." Ironac answered.

"Well, can't we do this tomorrow, not in the dead of night?" Yugi asked and rubbed his eyes.

"Very well, I will give you a day for rest. Meet me at Domino Park after sunset tomorrow, then we will see." Ironac said before revealing his right hand lined with iron rings of animal figures. The ring on his middle finger lit up and spread out into an owl spirit and carried Ironac away into the night.

Both Yoh and Yugi stared in awe. "I've never seen spirits do that before." Yoh gasped.

"Yoh, you might want to give me more details on this whole Shaman Tournament thing." Yugi looked to Yoh.

"Hate to say, but you're going to have to ask Anna on that. Even I don't know what's up with Ironac." Yoh answered, "I suggest to take his advice and hit the bed."

"Hm, guess you're right." Yugi agree and came inside.

In the standoff, Raikoukou leapt from Miranda's shoulder and grew past its normal length to the size of a horse with its top-jaw fangs about eight inches. Immense voltage sparked from its tails and claws. Even Miranda's other four spirits looked ready to fight.

The figure jumped from her home to the sidewalk in front of her. Miranda prepared herself with her right hand wrapped around her Millennium Sword and Tsunami's beads coveting Yami Marik's tablet ready in her fingers.

"Four human spirits and a Yokai, impressive for a girl your age." He complimented, not taken.

"The Shaman Tournament? Yoh Asakura told me about it, but he knew little of it." Said Miranda but kept her stance.

"I can tell you more, but you'll have to fight me first."

"How so?"

"We'll fight in your backyard, it seems big enough. If you can land a hit on me within ten minutes, I'll tell you all you need to know. Just one hit is all you need to gain admission to the Shaman Tournament." Chrom said while remaining in his cloak.

"One hit?" Miranda cleared it for herself and her allying spirits. "Fine then, these four spirits have never failed me before."

"What about the fifth one?" Chrom asked.

"Well… I have to keep him, but he's too powerful so I won't use him." Miranda covered Yami Marik's memorial tablet from Chrom's eyes.

"You will have to use all of your spirits if you wish to make contact with me. That much I can say right now." Chrom uncovered himself of his clad; revealing a tough, rugged body under a vest of leather, and fur collar and tan leather pants equipped with small pocket belt and dagger.

"We'll see." Miranda got confident as the three sidestepped into the mossy ground. Not much grass or shrubs covered it. Chrom didn't do anything to prepare except stare her down, Miranda still kept her sword at hand and Tsunami's necklace entwined in her fingers, and Raikoukou prowled past Miranda's back and vanished. _Tsunami and Miran should be all that I need. Their Double Tidal Attack should be more than one hit against Chrom._ She thought.

"The time will begin when you make your first move." Chrom stated.

"Then I'll start the fight now." Miranda charged for him with Tsunami and Miran ready to make the attack.

"You may use your Pisces to join us in the assault." Tsunami said.

"The more the better, mom." Miran agreed.

"Right." Miranda nodded and leapt up from the middle of the distance they created. "Tri of Water Tidal Submerge!" Miranda called the attack, jumping Chrom. Her sword, beads, and herself glowed in a blue aura before exploding into a flash flood of spirit energy crashing towards Chrom. He only took one step back and Miranda saw him get plowed by the blast of mana. "That had to hit him for sure."

"Not quite, Miranda!" Chrom called. Miranda looked up and saw Chrom flying on chrome wings. "Though I admit that was a powerful attack, but it was my animal familiar, Chrome Raven, that has saved me."

"Flying in the air like that, it'll be hard for you to dodge. Raikoukou!" Miranda cried. Her fox-spirit sprung from the ground with full teeth baring brightly in the first quarter moon. 'Blue Lightning Strike!' Raikoukou released all nine tails and let loose scattering thunderbolts. One even landed its mark on Chrom and brought him to the ground. 'Direct hit!'

"Missed again. Chrome Fish has shielded me from your fox's attack." Chrom stood straight on his feet with now chrome scales covering his left arm like a shirtsleeve. "You're missing the point, Miranda. This isn't a test to see how powerful your spirits are, but how powerful you are. Your spirits only reflect how powerful you are, and for carrying so many, you appear weak."

"What!" Yami Marik tried to resist the restraints placed upon him. "Miranda, if you know what's good for him, you'll let me take care of him myself! I'll send him to the Shadow Realm!"

"No Yami Marik, he's right. The Tidal Submerge nor Raikoukou's Blue Lightning made a hit. If we want to beat this guy, we have to concentrate everything we have. Unfortunately, that means you and Miran have to work together." Miranda said, making both of them stress.

"There's no way I'm working with this psycho assassin! He tried to kill you!" Miran pointed her sword accusingly at Yami Marik.

"And you have a better chance getting sucked into the Shadow Realm before I work with this coward!" Yami Marik fired back. Tsunami and Kikaita both look more nervous with each insult from the two fighting spirits.

"Coward! You enslave Miranda and hide behind her when things get rough! And you're calling me a coward!"

"You were more yellow in our Duel than you were black and blue 5000 years ago!"

"I'll show you who's black and blue!" Miran lunged at Yami Marik. Miranda refused to watch them, but saw three more figures appear on Chrom: A chrome bear claw on his right hand, a chrome wolf head equipped on his right leg, and a chrome buffalo head shielding his left leg.

"Where'd those come from?" Miranda questioned.

"Chrom, forget this. I like the girl's spirit and all but she can't control five spirits at once." The chrome wings suddenly grew a talking head. "If anything, she should only be controlling one spirit like all the other Shamans, it'd be easier on herself and on them."

"Nonsense Chrome Raven, she's of the water elements, I feel it. She'll have more, I know it." Chrome Fish said in a small voice. "Her potential lies with more spirits uniting."

"You always fall for the water-attributed shamans, Chrome Fish." The wolf said next. "But it doesn't look like these spirits are uniting."

"And two of her spirits are very incompatible with each other but with her? There is a catch somewhere, Chrome Wolf." The bear claw roared next, "What do you think, Chrome Buffalo?" But the Buffalo only grumbled.

"You have five minutes left. I suggest getting your spirits together before time runs out." Chrom suggested. Yami Marik and Miran stopped fighting right before they were about to slit each other's throats.

Miran slowly removed the blade from Yami Marik's neck. "You got her into Battle City. How about you get us into the Shaman Tournament?" Miran asked and sort of edged Yami Marik to remove his materialized Millennium Rod from her.

"Miranda, Sword of Souls!" Yami Marik suggested with a bark.

"Better late than never!" Miranda agreed as five spirit flames slammed into the sword. The sword roared with an aurora of spirit flames and Raikokou's Blue Lightning.

The girl already knows Over Soul. Impressive, maybe I have underestimated her after all.' Chrom smirked. "Congratulations on achieving Full Over Soul, but now I must raise a level myself." The Native American warrior commented as his animal disengaged and stacked onto each other.

"What the?" Miranda asked with her sword still fiery with souls. The animals went metallic and soon appeared with Chrom finishing it with his dagger implanted into the metal totem pole made up of his five animals.

"This is my Totem Pole Spirit Cannon." Chrom announced and held his weapon like a massive semi-automatic. "This is the ultimate weapon in my spirit arsenal. You cannot dodge it. You might as well die from it if you don't know how to correctly defend yourself. It fires a blast of spirit energy capable of depleting any Over Soul. And considering how exhausted you are from holding all five of your spirits in a single sword, it will be little effort." Chrom challenged, raising the determination of all six of them.

"Give us all you've got. Don't pull any punches, Chrom." Miranda said and held her blade steady. "Come at me with all you have!" The flame surrounding Miranda's Millennium Sword flared up and grew twice as long as the blade. Still, it was a struggle to keep her spirits in one object.

"You'll regret those words! Totemic Spirit Cannon Blast!" Chrom fired his cannon.

"Sword of Souls, Zodiac Aurora Slash!" Miranda's blade flashed in dazzling colors and stopped right in the middle of the blast. All six of them went through the Chrom's attack with everything they had.

"I'll regret doing this for the rest of my afterlife!" Miran and Yami Marik both shouted in unison with Raikoukou in front of them and Kikaita and Tsunami backing the rear. The blast and counter flashed into a light as bright as the morning sun but dimmed quickly to a flared right against the sword. All six of them defended with everything they had of the single attack.

Chrome Raven cawed again. "There's no way she can avoid that without losing all of her Over Soul in that blade. She had no chance in the Shaman Tournament with those two warring spirits."

In the shield, Yami Marik heard Chrome Raven and his anger rose to a fever pitch. "Miranda, release your defense."

"What!" The other five shocked and Miranda was resorted to defend the attack herself.

"I knew you were crazy, but I thought you hated to lose." Kikaita said.

"I know, but there's something you've forgotten of the Zodiacs. Pisces can manipulate spirit energy into anything they wish. With that much spirit energy in that attack, she can absorb and resume Over Soul; however, we'll be separated into solid being using her mana." Yami Marik tried to explain to the girls.

"Wait a minute, what?" Miran wanted a better translation. Tsunami provided it.

"Miranda can manipulate the spirit energy from that blast to create four separate bodies we may absorb into while keeping Raikoukou in the sword to perform the resuming Over Soul." Said Tsunami. "While she has Over Soul with Raikoukou, we'll have our own bodies to move as we please."

"Exactly." Yami Marik agreed.

_But if anything happens to Miranda in result, you'll be heading straight back to Kyoto's memorial tablet storage._ Raikoukou threatened, _Miranda, do it._ Miranda was uneasy to agree with her five spirits, but was weakening fast of holding the attack. She let the blade move aside and the blast hit head-on, throwing her off her feet while at the same time absorbing the attack.

"That's a direct hit, Chrom! She's a goner!" Chrome Raven cawed.

"Not quite, she advanced another level." Chrom thought otherwise. Four flares of light escaped the blast and circled into a small tornado, muffling the totemic spirit attack and allowing Miranda to recover. Raikoukou remained in the sword and surged it with electricity.

"What the! Only one spirit left." Chrome Raven said in its annoying parrot tone.

"You know I'm really getting sick of hearing your voice!" Yami Marik faded from his spirit flame into his dark cape and standing blonde hair, including the third eye of light on his forehead. "Shadow Assailant Strike!" Yami Marik used the Millennium Rod that appeared and struck Chrom's five spirits to separate. Chrom's spirits returned to their armor in attempt to protect him.

"We're on the offensive now! Blue Lightning Strike!" Miranda swung the sword down and commanded several bolts of lighting to hit Chrom, though all missed.

"Is that the best you can do? I'm impressed you can use another's spirit energy as your own, but even six against one, you're losing." Chrom folded his arms, "Two minutes left."

"Yeah kid, you might as well give up now. There's no way you're going to hit Chrom, not with us protecting him." Chrome Raven annoyed them again.

"Oh really? Yami Marik, Shadow Spell Technique!" Miranda commanded.

"My thoughts exactly!" Yami Marik took his height of the air and opened a dark vortex. Chrom tried to evade in the air but the dark chains captured Chrome Fish. "Yes, no defenses now!"

"Chrome Fish!" Chrom cried. Tsunami prepared her arrow and aimed it.

"The Chrome Raven is next." She muttered and aimed for its head, "Guiding Arrow of Sagittarius!" She called her attack and fired a flaming arrow. Chrome Raven was shot right off and forced Chrom to the ground while his Raven hung in the air with the arrow through its chest. "Kikaita, Miranda, Miran!"

"Triple Blade Slash!" The three Samurais said at once and sent three blades of light his way. Another light blinded all of them briefly as Miranda staked her sword into the ground. She looked us exhausted and saw Chrom still standing.

"No, I didn't even make a scratch." Miranda shuddered and kneeled to the ground, her absorbed mana quickly depleted. Kikaita, Miran, Tsunami, and Yami Marik reassembled themselves behind her and Raikoukou evacuated the sword. Miranda knew, for sure, time was up. Yami Marik seemed disappointed while the rest of them looked like they've given up. Miranda managed a smile in her bowed head. "Well, maybe I wasn't cut out into this Shaman Tournament. Duel Monsters was my thing." She said before collapsing into Chrom's arm.

"Miranda!" All five of them exclaimed.

"Do not worry, she made the Shaman Tournament." Chrom said while still holding Miranda.

"How? I don't even see a scratch." Kikaita said. By then, Chrom's five spirits retreated to his rings and his belt, his dagger holster, and shreds of his vest fell to the ground with near invisible scrapes on his skin.

"Well, there's your scratches." Tsunami pointed out the obvious.

"But what will happen to my daughter?" Kikaita jumped Chrom at her question.

"You're her mother?" Chrom asked but look back down to her. "She will be fine. Just exhausted from manipulating your spirits and weak of mana. A good night's sleep should take care of that. Though I'm quite surprised you use Zodiacs in your fights."

"Well, four of us are of Zodiac Clan traits." Tsunami looked to the females.

"And what of him?" Chrom looked over to Yami Marik.

"Assassin that spared me 5000 years ago and nearly destroyed the world about a month back." Miran simply answered. "Miranda's the only one that can contain his spirit."

"I see." Chrom reviewed the group once more. "All five of you see to work well together in Miranda's fight. However, I'm afraid there is some downside with it..."

Inside after sneaking in, Yami Marik provided the privacy of the Shadow Realm to discuss matters further. Miranda slowly recovered to conscious and had Raikoukou for support. Everyone was in silent shock but Miran after hearing the bad news.

"Shamans can only have just one guardian ghost! You're talking nonsense!" Miran roared.

"She can scream in the Shadow Realm all she wants, Chrom." Yami Marik added in Miran's angry pacing. "No one can hear her scream in the outside world."

"Mirandragon, listen to Chrom." Tsunami tried to calm her daughter. "I too was in the Shaman Tournament with Raikoukou, and won by default to someone who had a hidden second spirit not authorized by the Shaman Fights."

"But one! Mother!" Miran wanted to argue and huffed. "Just let it not be the psycho with the third eye." Miran squatted to the ground.

"Well, it'll most likely be the one who has the most experience with her." Chrom suggested.

_Then I'm out._ Raikoukou said.

"I decline position." Tsunami stepped down.

"I do to. I haven't been a fighting ghost for long, but I haven't passed on to the other side either." Kikaita followed.

"Then that just leaves Miran and Marik." Chrom said aloud.

"I'll fight in the--"

"Forget it." Miranda intruded on Miran's self-nomination. "Despite I've regained my heart, I still don't see you to be a warrior for fights of this magnitude. You always wait until the last second to make a comeback, but that's not what the Shaman Tournament is about. It's about keeping it, wire-to-wire, or at least making the opposition tire out before you do."

"Miranda..." Kikaita tried to assure.

"Mom, please. I've been making my own decisions for nine years, and this is no different." I turned my attention back to the rest of the group. "I can understand Tsunami, Raikoukou, and my mother to step down since I haven't known them for long. However, I haven't known you for long either. You just came to me before Battle City started."

"And He didn't come in until after you defeated Odion." Miran pointed to Yami Marik. "You can't say He'll be your guardian ghost. He tried to kill you throughout Battle City."

"But he hasn't." Miranda shot back. "You know, I know, everyone here knows it and so do Yoh and Yugi: A partnership between a spirit and a human have to be close. And I don't mean when you had my body while Yami Marik gave me a body to go out of the Shadow Realm. If anything, Yami Marik have been more of a spirit ally than you."

"Miranda, you're talking crazy! You all are!" Miran argued as seeing no is objecting to Miranda's foregone answer.

"Miran, my mind has made up." Miranda silenced her and began to walk on her own. "I don't care how much you dislike it. Everyone has accepted to not participate in the Shaman Tournament. All except you, and Yami Marik hasn't spoken a word through this."

"True." Miran looked to the male standing off to the side. "Well, don't you have anything to say about this, Triclops? You're probably glad Miranda's about to pick you. If she choose you, you'd be using the same tricks you used through the Battle City tournament and make the opponent sympathize by toying with Miranda's soul! Huh! Answer me!"

"Enough now, Mirandragon!" Chrom tried to stop her until Yami Marik intervened.

Yami Marik faced them with a tilt in his head position. "You're more naive than I thought. Of course I'd be honored to be Miranda's guardian ghost. Through Battle City we were well together."

"Hardly, but continue." Miranda barely agreed.

"In any case, I am the perfect match for Miranda. Sure I may not look like much, but compared to you four, I have the most experience in magic manipulation." Yami Marik proved one point. "I have seen the way Ren fights with brute force and relentless assaults, and he shows no mercy to his opposition. Sympathy is not an attribute in the Shaman Tournament."

"No kidding." Kikaita rubbed a sore on her arm from defending Ren's attack earlier.

"I'm sure there are more Shamans like that and maybe some more ruthless than that. Technique is only part of this tournament." Yami Marik finished.

_Technique is one. Other aspects include teamwork, trust, and training._ Raikoukou followed, almost appearing to agree with him. _This is Master Miranda's decision, a decision she alone must make and one that will decide her proceedings in the tournament._

Yami Marik took one step back. "Unless Mirandragon would like to argue some more, I suggest you decide now. No pressure necessary."

"No pressure?" Miran grumbled and everyone else awaited the answer.

"I have decided..."


	4. A New Type of Over Soul

Chapter 4- A New Type of Over Soul

The sun rose over the horizon of the new day. After throwing a serious fit, Anna finally accepted Yoh to sleep at Yugi's place and was going to stop by the morning, but that only left about three hours of sleep before it was time Yugi had to get up.

His first stop in his room was the mirror. No sooner did a faint image of Yami appear behind him. "Yugi, didn't sleep well?" Yami asked.

"Barely, and then we have that fight with Ironac tonight. We gotta find out exactly how we're supposed to fight this guy." Yugi began to worry. "Yoh and Miranda seemed so confident of their skills in fights."

"Don't worry too much, we'll stop by Miranda's house today and see if we can't find some answers." Yami assured. A knock intruded and Yoh and Amidamaru entered.

"'Mornin' Yugi." Yoh greeted, wearing his outfit from yesterday and added on was an orange band with silver blades on the top of the left hand. Noticable was the multiple of scratches all over Yoh's body.

"Hey, Yoh." Yugi answered and spotted the band. "What's that?"

"This? It's the Oracle Pager, you win this if you beat the Shaman Fight Official." Answered Yoh. "Speaking of which, you have that fight with Ironac tonight, don't you?"

"Yeah, I'm still a little shaken about this. I've never heard of this Shaman Tournament before." Yugi said before his eyes shot wide. "Hey, you didn't get that yesterday!"

"I did, last night I had my qualifying fight and won." Yoh answered.

"OK," Yugi said in some confusion. "But what about my fight tonight? Any hints you can give me?"

"Well, usually you go with what your spirit and yourself have in common." Yoh briefed.

"We're both into Duel Monsters, that's about it." Yami replied.

"Typical, you have no chance in the Shaman Tournament unless you can put Duel Monsters to your advantage." Anna intruded. All three guys looked to see Anna leaning on the doorway with her arms crossed. "As I've seen with Yoh, an Over Soul can be put into anything the spirit can relate to. For you, it might be the cards in your hands. It's a risk, but your spirit Yami can probably adopt the powers of the Dark Magician, Buster Blader, even Slifer the Sky Dragon."

"How do you know of the Egyptian God Cards?" Yugi jumped at Anna's knowledge. "And how did you even get in here!"

"Motou let me in, but back to the point. I am an Itaku, I understand most knowledge of spirits, including the fact that Yami used to be an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh." Anna answered in he usual stale voice. "Now are you going to try it or not? Other than the cards, I don't see anything else Yami can come to contact with." Yugi took a look at his deck, then glimpsed Yami and Yoh. Both of them seemed to agree with it.

"Al'right. I'll try."

"With Anna, 'Try' is not in the vocabulary." Yoh chuckled nervously.

"We begin...after breakfast." Said Anna.

It was not really a tough decision for Miranda at all. Kikaita, Raikoukou, and Tsunami voluntarily stepped down, and Yami Marik's experience in fighting was decided over Miran's comeback methods. By morning, Miranda wasn't training with her sword, but instead looked through a deck she collected from the Battle City tournament. Her thoughts were in deep as all of her spirit brigade was withdrawn except for Raikoukou sleeping in her room and Yami Marik looking out the window like the loner he is.

"It's after dawn, aren't you going to train?" Yami Marik asked impatiently.

"I am. I felt a slight weakness during the Zodiac Aurora Slash, a weakness coming from you." Miranda answered and sorted the cards in the deck.

"I'll admit, I don't favor long-range weapons." Said Yami Marik.

"Precisely why I have a different Over Soul tactic for you." Miranda stated and laid The Winged Dragon of Ra on the table in front of her along with other recognizable cards he used in his Duels. "Unless you're not up to it."

"All we need is the Shadow Realm and we'll pass the first round of the tournament." Yami Marik retorted.

"Too easy. I thought you'd prolong a victim's suffering for your amusement, being the twisted mind you are." Miranda plainly answered and began looking through another deck. "What I have in mind should surely entertain the opposition before destroying them."

"Entertain them?" Yami Marik looked to her with a questionable look.

After breakfast, Anna, Yoh and Yugi headed towards the card shop on the lower floor. Solomon didn't open for another two hours so they had time, little towards Anna's eyes. All of them sat in the middle of the floor with Yugi's deck to start things off.

"OK, I may not know Duel Monsters but like any Shaman, he and the ghost must act as one." Anna instructed. "I'm assuming here you're going to select the single card you can tap Over Soul into."

"Dark Magician, hands down." Yugi slipped out his favorite card, a powerful mage in purple armor and wielding a green staff.

"Pretty good, but don't you think you should start weaker?" Anna asked and swiped Yugi's deck to see through it herself.

"I don't mean to agree with Anna, but the Dark Magician does look like a powerful card. If you start out too fast, you'll burn up your Over Soul before you even start." Yoh picked up the Dark Magician and examined it himself.

"How about the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, that's pretty weak with only 1400 attack points?" Yugi suggested the second thought as Anna found the guardian in the deck.

"It's a start, better than trying to merge with a Kuriboh." Anna kept the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in her hand and returned the deck to Yugi. Even Yoh gave his Dark Magician back. "Now we'll head outside, if anything this could take as long as Yoh when he first tried integration." Anna led the boys outside through the front door and went around back. Yoh appeared confident but Yugi looked worried.

_We just heard of the Shaman Tournament last night. How did we end up in it?_ Yugi thought in doubt.

_I don't know, but Yoh and Miranda might need our help. Yoh says that the world is the stake in every one of these tournaments. And we can't let the fate of the world be in the wrong hands._ Yami answered when they finally reached behind the store.

"Alright, it's time for shot Number One. Yugi, I suggest you study Yoh. All Over Soul proceed like this but how it is resolved is up to the team." Anna instructed. Yoh nodded and revealed Harusame once more.

"Amidamaru, spirit form!" The ritual of summoning spirit replayed in front of them, "Into the spirit sword!" Yoh finished quickly and the light blue flame embroidered Yoh's sword. Anna clicked the stopwatch.

"Not bad, .9 seconds. But I've seen better from you by two-tenths of a second." Anna commented. "Now it's your turn Yugi, try to focus Yami's spirit from the Puzzle and into the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. Yami must _be_ the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian." She handed the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian to Yugi.

"Alright, here goes." Yugi pulled the Millennium Puzzle off around his neck and held the chain in his right hand and the card in his left.

_Be the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian._ Yami began to concentrate and the Puzzle reacted with the Eye of Horus glowing. Yugi tossed the Millennium Puzzle in his hand until the loop was in his palm and made a stance like he dueled with Kaiba's Duel Disc.

"Yami, spirit form!" Yugi threw everything he could muster into braking Yami from the barriers of the Millennium Puzzle. A gold-brimming spirit flame ejected from the Millennium Puzzle. "Into the spirit card!" Yugi directed Yami's spirit flame further as Yami darted through the card in Yugi's opposite hand.

"Just look. Revival Jam, Metal Reflect Slime, Archfiend Soldier, Winged Dragon of Ra; along with Swords of Revealing Light, Gran Maju Da Eiza, Inferno Tempest...you get where I'm coming at? If this can be pulled off, you'll be the playing field, the magic, the traps, and the monsters." Miranda reached conclusion. "If possible, you could even _become_ The Winged Dragon of Ra."

Yami Marik looked very interested in the strategy. He smiled his grim grin and the right side of his face warped and vanished, signaling a power like none other seen since his appearance in Battle City. No surprise there.

Yami paused inside the card to recollect himself. Yugi began to feel a little heat in the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian card before the flame ejected and took form in the gold fire. Yugi felt blinded while Amidamaru, Anna, and Yoh watched with confident expectation.

Yugi again forced energy through his direction. "I summon the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" Yami found his final form in the fire and burst out of the flames. Yami saw himself in a new suit of armor and animal pelts, skipping the bladed helmet as the regular Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, but nonetheless armed with the trademarked diamond blade sword. All three of them saw the result of Yugi's successful Over Soul, and then they glanced at Yugi. They only saw a few drops of sweat dotting his forehead, but other than that he looked like he used little energy to pull it off.

"Incredible..." Anna stared and looked to the stopwatch. "Although it took you 2.3 seconds, that's not too bad for a first shot. And you don't even look tired out."

"Maybe the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian was no problem for you." Yoh smiled.

"He still needs to see if he can follow through and fulfill some sort of attack. Try to hit that tree over there." Anna stated and pointed to a tree against a brick wall.

"Al'right." Yugi nodded and returned focus on his Over Soul, Yami still holding out his synchronized stance of the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. "Yami, use Diamond Blade Slash!" Yami followed the attack and took a twenty-foot leap above the tree and sliced down the middle in a stream of light. The slash evaporated and moments passed before the tree reacted and split down the middle.

"I did that?" Yami himself couldn't believe what he accomplished, and with little effort.

"It's hard to believe a card-player like you has so much potential." The rare event of Anna standing shocked took present.

"And you used about as much energy to play that Over Soul as I did just to integrate with Amidamaru." Yoh followed with his comment.

"Now's not the time to celebrate. Next monster, one more powerful than the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. With the way Yugi is gliding along, we'll make Yami a fighting machine wielding the bladed staff of the Dark Paladin by lunch. For there's nothing for lunch for either of you!" Anna conducted, making Yoh and Yugi freeze with the thought of starvation. "Now move it! Time is not on your side, Motou!"

"It's odd…" Kevin though to himself in the rising morning, "why did I see an explosion near Miranda's place but nothing was mentioned on the news?" His hair was a total wreck after a rough night of hardly any sleep while staring down at a breakfast of pancakes and small sausage links.

Mai had her hair tied back in a ponytail and net to keep the untamed mane at least under control. Her usual cup of cappuccino was all she needed before going around for more Duels. She glanced to Kevin as the steam from his breakfast vanished off the plate. "Kevin, what's wrong? You love pancakes." She wondered, snapping Kevin from his concentration.

"It's nothing Mai, but…last night, did you see some sort of explosion a mile from here? Like somewhere around Miranda's place?" Kevin asked. Mai's deep purple eyes sparkled in shock.

"Do you know if she's all right?" Mai's morning routine was added with some panic and concern. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I--" Kevin was about to respond until Mai guzzled the rest of her coffee.

"Get dressed, we're going to Miranda's a-sap." She headed into the bathroom immediately, leaving Kevin to finish his cooled-off meal.

Kevin returned his eyes to his breakfast. "Miranda, I hope you're all right…" He muttered and finally bit into his sausage. "This is so unreal… First Yoh comes with this Shaman King tournament, then this explosion after dark…" Kevin pondered his new events until the phone ringing broke his train of thought. He gulped his orange juice and snagged the phone. "Hello, Valentine's Residence."

"Is this Kevin Hunter?" The woman on the other side asked.

"Yeah but how did you know?" Kevin wondered quickly before the voice continued.

"My name is Ishizu Ishtar. I need to see you at the Domino Museum immediately concerning your father's artifact he donated two years ago."


	5. Kevin wants to be a Shaman!

Chapter 5- Kevin wants to be a Shaman!

"Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!" Yugi commanded. Yami, outfitted in the Dark Magician armor, blasted a powerful beam of dark magic against a hay-stacked target. A successful direct hit as the target scattered in straw.

"OK, I think we can stop here for today, Yugi. You need to rebuild your mana for the qualifying fight tonight." Anna instructed. Yugi exhaled a sigh of relief as Yami's Dark Magician costume disengaged from his spirit form. "I'm impressed, you were able to climb from the Celtic Guardian to the Dark Magician in less than four hours. Quite an improvement from Yoh's Over Soul technique."

"I just have to know how can an Egyptian Pharaoh be a fighting spirit other than by assimilating cards." Manta pondered while having his nose stuck in his thick book. "I mean everyone else has spirit that are special to some sort of combat. Amidamaru a Samurai, Bason a Chinese Warlord, and Miranda's spirits ranging from a Miko, two female Samurais, a fox-demon and an assassin."

"Well there's your answer Manta, a fighting spirit can be anything that has had experience in combat." Yoh answered.

"For once Yoh is right." Anna added on. "I've read once before that the Pharaoh Yugi has for a guardian ghost once saved the world from the Shadow Realm. And I know the Shadow Realm all too well." Yugi gasped at Anna's statement.

"How do you know of the Shadow Realm, Anna?" Yugi asked.

"I'm an Itaku, a traditional Japanese shaman." Anna introduced, "and as one, I was taught to know several famous ghosts and apparitions. From the Pharaoh Yami who has defeated the Shadow Games to the seemingly immortal demon Raikoukou of the Blue Lightning and more." Anna paused and studied Yugi briefly, "I know you had to deal with several encounters of ghosts through your days, Yugi."

"I did, and Miranda has one of them." Yugi added on. "Marik's dark side wanted to destroy the world." Anna sighed right after Yugi.

"He wouldn't have succeeded; the world's fate is always decided around the Shaman Tournament." Anna stated as Yoh did the day before. "If there's anyone to worry about, it's to make sure the crown of the Shaman King doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Now I suppose we get a good lunch down our stomachs, Yugi's going to need all the help he can get if he has any hope to qualify for the Shaman Tournament."

In a half-hour, both Kevin and Mai sped across the streets of Domino. Before Mai made out of her room, Kevin was told to come to the Domino Museum for his father's artifact. His mind changed while Mai's hair whipped wildly in the wind.

"After the check on Miranda, can we go to the museum?" Kevin asked, distracting Mai briefly but her eyes never left the road ahead.

"So you know who that phone call came from?" Mai answered and jumped Kevin. "Don't look so surprised Kevin, I heard you answer the phone. It was Ishizu, wasn't it?"

"How'd you…"

"Call it intuition but I know it's about your father's find two years ago. I ought to know, I was there with him." Mai explained and swung left through the intersection. "I kinda had the feeling. I suppose it's some kind of connection between your father and me. I sometimes hear his voice at night, but a few nights he sounded panicked, like another world-threatening event is about to take place if nothing is done about it."

"The Shaman Tournament…" Kevin mumbled.

"What?" Mai raised a brow and slowed to pull into a house with a scarred landscape for a backyard.

"It's something Yoh is involved. People who have guardian ghosts fight for the right of Shaman King and the fate of the world." Kevin answered and closed the door on his side of the corvette. "I think Miranda's involved, too."

Kevin made his way to the front door first and knocked frantically.

Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!

That was not the sound of my watch's alarm. I finished assembling a well-manipulative deck for Yami Marik to assimilate as Over Soul and scanned the room for what was going off. I finally found what was on my nightstand, a blue device as long as my forearm with silver blades on both ends and a digital display in the middle of it.

"What the heck?" I asked and held it by one of the snap-on leather bands. The digital readout was going off like a pager.

"It was your prize from Chrom for your qualifications for the Shaman Tournament. That Oracle Pager is supposed to give you the information on your three preliminary rounds: the opponent, the time, and the place." Yami Marik answered. Raikoukou yawned and eyed Yami Marik.

_Someone's been paying attention…_ Raikoukou said in her telekinesis.

I checked the display on the Oracle Pager as the marquee scrolled along. "_The first fight of the qualifying round will be in front of Kaiba Corp. two weeks from today at sunset. Your opponent is…_"

"Miranda…" A shady figure read his Oracle Pager. A small demonic spirit rested on the shoulder of his silver cape that highlighted ripples of light in the morning sun. "One of the few Zodiacs remaining in the world if I'm not mistaken." The demon nodded in agreement and spoke in a hidden telepathy. "Kind of depressing. I've heard she lost someone during the Battle City Finals, but strange as it seems, she didn't sue Kaiba."

He took his eyes off the digital marquee towards the morning sun; orange veins leaked through the dark clouds that overcasts the eastern horizon. "Zodiac or not, I'll defeat her. Despite I know little of them."

"Are you sure you want to put your sword where your mouth is?" A deep voice cut off the Shaman's thoughts. He turned around to see Ironac in his quilted cloak and pined with a large plate of iron crafted to look like a wolf's head from old Indian folklore.

"What do you mean Ironac? This single Zodiac can't possibly come up against a whole horde of demons. Yaril can summon the most powerful beasts of the underworld." The Shaman answered and unsheathed his longsword from behind his back; from hilt to blade tip, it has length of three feet.

"I had been given word from Chrom that this Zodiac Shaman has the potential to channel five spirits at once." Ironac warned, "But that was during her preliminary round."

"Five spirits? They must not have been that strong then." The Shaman continued to brush away Ironac's concerns.

"Montoya, you are not listening. Miranda is a descendant to the demon ally Raikoukou of the Blue Lightning." Ironac's point got Montoya's demon ally's attention and it murmured in his ear.

"By the sound of Yaril, Raikoukou seems pretty powerful." Montoya glanced back to Ironac with his gray slate eyes. "This demon made it even to Yaril's plane."

"Raikoukou is a demon of power in the Lightning Element. However, after the fight with Chrom, Miranda had to choose one of her spirits to be registered into the Shaman Tournament." Ironac got to the bottom line. "You've been warned, Montoya; for her selected ally is very dangerous, more so than Raikoukou. We at the Patch Tribe are all baffled at how such a hazardous spirit could be quelled in her hands…" He turned his back to Montoya and began to walk away.

"Ironac, who is Miranda's spirit ally?" Montoya called out after him.

"I'm afraid you'll have to find out in two weeks. I must go now and prepare to initiate the remaining Shamans into the tournament…" Ironac bid his unconditional farewell and disappeared into the morning traffic.

Montoya concentrated a moment before returning his sword into the sheath. "Miranda's ally is dangerous? Yaril calls the most lethal of demons from the spirit world." He muttered under his breath.

Miranda opened her door to see one panicked Kevin quivering in front of her. Today's attire of the Zodiac descendant included black stretch pants over a magenta sleeveless top with a ruffled collar. A moment after seeing Miranda, Kevin exhaled deeply and calmed down.

"O…K, I think I've missed something." Miranda commented as Raikoukou stepped up to the doorway. Both of them saw Mai's corvette parked in the driveway.

"I know I saw an explosion in this area last night." Kevin panted from his hysteria moments ago.

"An explosion? You've must have saw my result of my preliminary into the Shaman Tournament." Miranda smirked and showed Kevin the Oracle Pager equipped to her right arm above her memorial tablet. "The tablet I've carved a few days ago."

"So you're in the tournament?" Kevin wondered.

"Yep." Miranda answered, but only she knew which ally she has registered.

"OK, we know Miranda's all right. Now how about we head for the museum and see what Ishizu wants." Mai called from the car.

"Coming!" Kevin hollered back.

"Ishizu, huh? Mind if I join you? I need to do a bit of studying up on some spirits." Miranda asked. Kevin was about to answer as Mai intercepted.

"Of course you can come with us. According to Little Harpie Brother you could use some time out of the house." Said Mai, ticking Kevin off some by the name "Little Harpie Brother." "Well get in, we're going to the museum now." Mai invited. Raikoukou shrunk in size and took her place on Miranda's shoulder. Miranda and Kevin both left the front porch of Miranda's two-story but small house.

The three feminine spirits watched from Miranda's bedroom on the second story as Mai pulled out of the driveway and sped off into the city. Miran reacted first with an eye twitching from yesterday.

"Why? Why did Miranda choose that homicidal freak for a spirit ally? I can't trust him as deep as I can cut him!" Miran cried.

"Mirandragon, please calm yourself." Tsunami sat cross-legged with her staff in her embrace, trying to ease her daughter with words alone.

"Kikaita, you're her mother! Knock some sense into her! This is the same psycho that tried to kill her in Battle City!" Miran roared in her episode. Kikaita remained as calm as Tsunami despite Miran's premature death millennia ago.

"Mirandragon, I am just as worried as you are; however-" Kikaita was about to explain when Miran panicked again.

"However what! What kind of circumstance is it for someone like Miranda to be possessed by a killer like him!"

"Mirandragon, control yourself!" Tsunami demanded in a strong voice. Miran finally settled herself long enough to listen to the other two. "You may tell us now, Kikaita."

"As you both know, Miranda has made decisions on her own for eight years since her father's death. For how long I've been stuck in Limbo, I've noticed that just recently a ring of friends is surrounding her; not a very big one but enough to keep her from giving in to the Darkness." Kikaita said, bring both of them to interest. "I accept Miranda's decision for choosing Yami Marik to be among us. He seems to be the only one who can help Miranda cope with her loss and loneliness."

"He feeds her that loneliness. The Shadow Realm is nothing but isolation." Miran argued but in a tone softer than before.

"Miran, you have not showed yourself back then, but Miranda had no friends at the start of her American education. She was alone except for the spirits resting in cemeteries near her home. Being alone for so long, she does not know how to be a friend to one of flesh and blood." Kikaita continued. "Yami Marik helps her with that loss because she feels she needs to stay alone to stay alive."

"Kikaita does prove a point: we've all seen the sacrifices Yugi and his friends have made for her in Battle City." Tsunami agreed, "I have to side with my daughter for this point: Miranda needs to understand that she can have friends outside of the spirit world."

"Tsunami, I know." Kikaita tried to swallow her tears. "I hope with all my soul that Kevin can show her the light of the living and free her from the darkness of the departed."

"You say you got a call from Ishizu at the museum?" Miranda asked as the wind whipped her blend of auburn and red hair.

"Yeah, my dad donated an artifact he found in the mountain range of China a few years ago before he came here." Kevin answered. "It was one of the largest swords ever found intact, and among the ranks for being wielded by powerful warriors, like Amidamaru's Harusame. My father named it the Dragon Buster, for lack of its research for its actual name or possessor. The only lead he has was the kanji inscribed on the blade but the name appeared in no research articles documented. Unless it was being read wrong, a blade that worn out could have a misprint."

"So how can this sword be quite known if it has a mysterious wielder behind it?" Mai asked while keeping her eyes on the road, both Kevin and Miranda gasped in confusion.

_Dragon Buster…I think I've heard of it before._ Rai mentioned in her telepathy.

"You have?" Kevin questioned the demon.

_Yeah but how much would this world take from a demon when they always seem to dismiss the like of us?_ Rai bowed her head.

"We're listening, Rai. Just give us what you know about this Ryumaru or this Dragon Fang." Mai said plainly while driving.

_It's legend from long ago in the Mountain ranges from which I was created._ Rai began. _There existed several humans whom have connections to us monsters, demons, ghosts, and above all Dragons. However, there has been a powerful warrior that makes a living slaying the Dragons. Soon times have passed and many Dragons were slained, the Dragons decided either to stop him or flee to their own world._

"So what did the Dragons do?" Miranda asked her demonic ally.

_They didn't do anything, the Dragonic God took it upon himself to stop the slayer of his kind. A war between one warrior and the God of Dragons waged bloodshed for years. Finally the Dragon succeeded, but with many casualties beforehand. They say that a curse laid upon that sword, that each night consecutively the warrior's sword traces a thin trickle of blood. It has reached the point of the century where that war happened millennia ago. For each of the one thousand Dragons that the God avenged, the blood of each fall each day starting on the beginning of the Year of the Dragon._ Rai concluded. _Miranda might have heard of this nameless warrior now._

"Come to think of it, the legend does sound familiar to me. But that was long ago." Miranda turned away from the group with heavy thoughts. _And if that's true, odds are this ghost of the sword and I won't get along very well._

"Well, here we are." Mai said as she rolled up to the museum. It wasn't until now Yami Marik decided to come out of his tablet in his semi-transparent form on the car seat. The phenomenon gave Mai the shivers. "I'll wait in the car, you three can go on ahead."

"OK." Miranda and Kevin said at the same time and left the car. Both of them looked up on the marble columns of the museum before entering; Yami Marik floats next to Miranda, making her the middle of him and Kevin.

_Dragon Buster? Never heard of it._ Yami Marik commented on their way in to the museum.

"Yami Marik do us a favor and retreat to your memorial tablet. You do not want to stir things up with the Ishtars again, right?" Miranda said of her registered ally. In rare moments, Yami Marik submitted to request and vanished into the tablet. Kevin and Miran proceeded further into the museum until they reached an exhibit of miscellaneous warriors, both heroes and fiends.

"My dad's artifact is at the end of this hall." Kevin told Miranda as they found Ishizu next to the showcase, dressed in a plain off-white dress, black flat hair, and a gold jewel-crested circlet.

"Kevin, and Miranda, thank you for coming." Ishizu greeted. Miranda's eyes landed first on a dark bloodstain in front of the showcase.

"This sword has been bleeding even before it was brought to the museum; the Year of the Dragon was four years ago, correct?" Miranda asked.

"Yes. It still traces the blood of the Dragons the God avenged, those whom have fallen to the malice greed before the God vanquished this fiend." Ishizu stated.

"Fiend…was this warrior really a danger to those Dragons?" Kevin questioned further.

"Yes. This warrior's legacy lives on today in Duel Monsters as the Drifting Swordsman; however, it is his incarnates that possess Buster Blader's power." Ishizu's briefing jumped Kevin and Miranda.

"Buster Blader! You're kidding!" Kevin paled.

"Actually it'd make some sense. In Duel Monsters, Buster Blader's power increases with each opposing Dragon." Miranda restored her hard look. "I wouldn't want to go up against him in the Shaman Tournament if he becomes your Guardian Ghost."

"Huh? What do you mean, If? He will be my Guardian Ghost." Kevin boasted.

_Are you insane! A Guardian Ghost like him will tear your deck apart!_ Rai barked. _You run a Dragon Deck!_

"Rai's got a point. We know Buster Blader's legend proclaimed him to be a ruthless Dragon slayer." Miranda agreed.

"Well that's only legend, I'm sure this guy's real nice." Kevin kept up his optimism.

"We'll see how long that enthusiasm lasts…" Yami Marik murmured in his memorial tablet.

"I'll leave it to you, Kevin, to decide if you want to take the artifact." Ishizu said and began to take her leave. "I'd advise you to take some time to decide. Recently have artifacts involving Dragons were destroyed." She finished and left the hall, leaving Miranda and Kevin alone in the exhibit.

"Artifacts were destroyed?" Miranda repeated in question as Yami Marik allowed himself to leave the tablet.

"Sounds like a potential danger to the Shaman Tournament." Yami Marik commented.

"And you aren't?"

"Man, what I wouldn't give to see this ghost." Kevin looked at the wide longsword under the display glass. While Kevin was looking into the blade, Miranda spotted more than his reflection.

"You can go ahead and try. I've got other business here." Miranda turned around and left Kevin in the exhibit.

"Where are you going?" Kevin asked, "Don't you want to see if I can get my Guardian Ghost?"

"If, Kevin, that's the key word." Miranda replied in her tone. "I still have doubts you two will get along. Besides, I need to study my opponent."

"Your opponent! You mean you know your first opponent already?"

"I do but I know little of him. I'll still be around if you need to call me. Later." Miranda finished and exited the exhibit, pacing the halls for the study she's looking for._rior that makes a living slaying the_ Just when she crossed the hall of where the Egypt exhibit and the Japanese historical exhibit crossed, Rai's ears perked up like she heard something. Without Miranda's question, Rai scampered off into the historical exhibit, into the hall where records of the Zodiac Clan were kept.

Montoya paused on his studies of Yin-Yang the Eternal Dragon when a presence entered the hall. His eyes followed the floor until he spotted a small creature, no bigger than a kitten, yet a kitten he's never seen before: snow white with midnight-blue stripes. Montoya crouched to the tile floor, curious as Yaril of the creature.

"Yaril, is this yours?" Montoya asked his partner. Yaril shook its head in response and Montoya's eyes remained on the little creature. After a moment he moved his hand towards the creature.

"Rai! Rai, where are you?" One's voice broke Montoya's interest. He looked to the hallway entrance to see a girl in a distressed search. Miranda finally looked down the hallway, "Rai, there you are." The creature that greeted Montoya too it's strides and jumped to her shoulder. "Whatcha do that for Rai?" Miranda asked and looked down the hallway in sight of Montoya. Her eyes narrowed in concentration under her red bangs to this stranger who hides himself under a silver cloak. _Who is this guy? His mana is twice as high as mine is. He's also a shaman?_ Miranda thought.

"That creature is yours?" Montoya asked. Miranda jumped from her study of him.

"Um, yes. Her name is Rai, and I'm Miranda." Miranda introduced herself with the proper bow to follow.

"My name is Montoya, and this is Yaril. You're a shaman as well?" Montoya asked as Miranda approached to see his studies on the Zodiacs.

"Montoya?" Miranda repeated. Montoya seemed to look in the same confusion and both of them struck recall at the same time.

"You're my opponent?" Both asked each other in unison and studied each other for a moment.

"Well, this will be a disadvantage. For you anyway." Montoya spoke first.

"Pardon?"

"Even from here your mana is weak. I hope you can put up a challenge in two weeks." Montoya said. Miranda's eyes left Montoya to the records of the Zodiacs.

"I guess you're right. I haven't done much training after the Battle City Tournament…" She said. "I'll see you later, OK Montoya?"

"Goodbye Miranda." Montoya bid his farewell as Miranda turned back towards the exhibit.

Coming around the corner, Miranda spotted Yoh, Amidamaru, and Manta there with Kevin. "So, this sword is supposed to bleed every night? That's weird." Yoh commented, "When I last saw a sword being haunted, all it is was Mosuke crying."

"Yeah, but for every dragon. He must have been powerful." Kevin added on before spotting Miranda. "Hey, Miranda."

"Hello, what are you two doing here?" Miranda asked as Yami Marik made himself faintly imaged like Amidamaru.

"Ghost fascination, you know." Yoh shrugged, "though what Kevin's told me of the sword it doesn't make sense." Miranda passed the display to a scroll written in a language not English nor Japanese or any known.

"You haven't seen this?" Miranda asked the trio before they backed her up in front of the showcase.

"It looks like some sort of language that's written like it was carved from a sword." Manta observed.

"It is, it's the same style of hieroglyphics as on Yin-Yang's card." Miranda answered.

"So you can read it?"

"Yep." Miranda answered before scanning the scroll. "_Ages ago, a warrior took up the Buster Sword and set out to slay all the dragons of the world. After gaining a reputation as the greatest dragon slayer of all time, he set out to slay the God of Dragons. But he was struck down in battle with the God. Over the ages, his name was lost, and he was known only as the Buster Blader... If one who follows the dragons stands in the spot where he was slain, the Buster Blader will seek vengeance for his demise..._ Could this be Yin-Yang's record forewarning the Zodiacs?" Miranda muttered to herself after reading what was legible on the age-old scroll.

"Whoa, now this guy is dangerous! I don't know who'd actually kill someone in the Shaman Tournament between him and Yami Marik!" Manta panicked before gaining a breath and looking towards Miranda. "Um, no offense you two."

"None taken." Came the unison answer from both shaman and ghost.

"I still want to meet him." Kevin awed at he scroll and broadsword under the glass.

"Kevin since when did you have a fascination for ghosts? You don't even know the first thing about them." Miranda said.

"And what is the first thing about them, huh? They're here because they don't want to die." Kevin cocked his attitude again.

"They're here…because they have unfinished business." Yoh corrected. "Take into consideration on how I met Amidamaru. He waited six hundred year on the tallest peak of the cemetery for Mosuke to bring Harusame."

"Yami Marik would have dwelt in the Shadow Realm for eternity if I didn't help him escape. He's still ticked at his loss of the duel that decided the winner of the last tournament." Miranda added on her story. Kevin stared at both of them with a questionable look.

"You have to admit both of them actually care for their guardian ghosts. Even if they were legend to be killers or really are." Manta concluded for the both of them.

By now, Ishizu made her appearance again in the exhibit. Yoh smiled in a first-impression greeting. "Hello."

"Greetings, you're friends of Kevin and Miranda?" Ishizu asked.

"M-hm." Manta nodded.

Ishizu's eyes returned to Kevin. "So have you decided to take your father's artifact. I think your father would want it that way."

"Yeah, I'll take it for a keepsake." Kevin nodded. Ishizu began to come up to the showcase and unlock the glass pane. She reached in to grab the sword's hilt when a red outline made itself on the blade. "It's bleeding already?"

"This would be the final day." Ishizu said before she picked up the sword gently from its supports.

"Hey, hold on a minute." Yoh inserted himself calmly. "Don't mind me by asking, but can we stay a few hours after losing to see for ourselves what's going on?"

Ishizu left the blade in his display. "Yes you may."

"If this means an overnighter, I'm out of here." Miranda shook her head. "You can deal wit this slaying maniac if you want. I'm not going to taste his blade."

"I'll leave the back door unlocked for you but it can't be open from the outside for safety precautions." Ishizu answered and left again. She froze in her paces when she passed by Yami Marik's spiritual image.

"Anything wrong, Ishizu?" Miranda asked and Ishizu shook her head to clear it.

"No, it's nothing."

"Don't worry, Yami Marik's dark half won't cause you trouble." Miranda assured as Ishizu left the exhibit. The sword lost its first drop of blood for the night. Behind everyone, the blood stained the tile like it was stepped on.


	6. Encounter

Chapter 6- Encounter

The bronze sunset glanced over Domino and Yugi's untouched dinner. Anna sat across from him eating silently while listening to a sitcom on the TV in the background. Moments passed until Anna's eyes went to Yugi. "What's the matter? Everyone loves my cooking." Anna snapped Yugi out of a deep thought.

"Oh, sorry Anna. It's just that…" Yugi trailed off in his thoughts again.

"Just what? It's evident you're ready. You've improved faster than Yoh did." Anna bit into a small piece of carrot.

"I just want to know who am I up against in this entry match for the Shaman Fight." Yugi questioned while fidgeting with his food of steamed rice and mixed vegetables.

"Honestly I don't know either." Anna answered bluntly and swallowed a small bundle of rice. "Yoh only told me he faced a Native American warrior whom controls five animal familiars. I'll bet you'll have to go through with the same deal and I highly doubt it'll be easy." Yugi sighed and finally took a bite of his cooling dinner. Yami came into view to the both of them with a curious glaze in his eyes.

_Anna, can you tell us about the Shaman Tournament, what you know of it anyway?_ Yami asked. Anna finished off her meal and took a breath.

"As far as I know, the Shaman Tournament gathers the strongest shamans for a competition to earn the crown title of Shaman King. The Shaman King has the ability to connect with the King of Spirits to ensure a world of their desires." Anna explained. "Yoh has entered this tournament to get an easy life for himself. Everyone has different goals as to when they become the Shaman King, or Queen." Anna paused to take up her bowl and chopsticks. "I have confidence Yoh will win this tournament. And when he does…I'll be his Shaman Queen."

Everyone watched as Ishizu turned the corner to leave the hall. The blood continued sliding off the blade and formed the print of one foot completely. Yami Marik and Amidamaru were first to turn their heads and spotted the shapeless mana figure behind them.

"Watch out!" Amidamaru cried in warning. Everyone spun around on their toes and jumped away from the showcase, all of them felt a splinter of wind scathed their bodies.

"What was that?" Kevin asked in his panic.

"Buster Blader…" Yami Marik growled in the back of his throat. Finally the images came to the four humans. He appeared to be of warrior class, wielding the soul figure of the broadsword. He looks no older than his late twenties and muscles bulked to the max, brown hair spiked the top of his head and his blue eyes crisp with a vengeance.

The remaining visitors of the exhibit seemed too scared to move, except for the experienced Shamans. "OK, there's Buster Blader. Are you sure you want him to be your guardian ghost now?" Miranda asked and scanned the exhibit for a dagger or small blade.

"Uh, no…not anymore." Kevin stammered. The Buster Blader scanned the presence before him before his eyes were locked on Kevin.

"You! Follower of dragons! How dare you mock my death by coming here! I did not slay a thousand dragons so that you could bring them to this place!" Buster Blader boasted and readied his blade to strike at Kevin.

"U-um Miranda, a little help?" Kevin stuttered. Buster Blader then turned his attention on Miranda, sensing her aura strong in Dragon blood.

"You mock me as well, Servitor of the Dragon God!" Buster Blader's anger reached an all-high peak as his spirit form was absorbed into his original armor.

"No way! He's possessed his armor! I thought ghosts can only achieve Over Soul through shamans." Manta panicked as the armor twitched in movement.

"Well you know what all English teachers say, There's an exception to every rule.'" Miranda posed a stance with Yami Marik's memorial tablet ready for Spirit Possession. Buster Blader charged towards Miranda, snagging the Buster Sword from the showcase along the charge. Miranda ran backwards and hoped to find some sort of suitable weapon for over soul.

Yoh found his easily and snagged one of the Zodiacs' samurai swords from the shelves along the walls. "Amidamaru, spirit form! Spirit Possession!" Yoh slammed the spirit flame into his own body and absorbed it, completing his possession.

Buster Blader slammed his sword to the tile where Miranda was a second earlier. Shards of the glass scattered in the aftershock from the blade that tasted the blood of many Dragons: a blade that threw Miranda into a furious rage. "Yami Marik, spirit form!" Miranda commanded of her guardian ghost. His transparent image ripped from his last position as he reformed to a spirit flame no bigger than a baseball in Miranda's right hand. "Spirit Possession!" She thrust the spirit flame into her body and her aura changed drastically. Her eyes narrowed with a sense of darkness.

Still Buster Blader resumed his attack with another charge down the exhibit. "Hey Buster Blader!" Yoh cried out after and followed him with Amidamaru in full Over Soul. "You're busted! Celestial Slash!" Amidamaru gave it his all in that one attack. The sword made contact to Buster Blader's back and knocked him off-balance with his broadsword making him top-heavy.

Through it all Manta, Rai and Kevin watched with freaked eyes. Kevin saw Yoh actually fight with his spirit possession but more surprising to him, Miranda allowed Yami Marik to control her body…and they're working as if they're one.

_Well? Want Buster Blader for a ghost now?_ Rai asked. Kevin shook his head, shaking off the shock.

"I do." Kevin answered.

"WHAT!" Manta panicked again, nearly giving his little body a heart attack. "This guy is nothing but bad news. I mean sure, Yoh got Amidamaru even though he was nicknamed the Fiend.' But Amidamaru never attacked anyone. This Buster Blader is attacking Miranda because she follows the code of Dragons!" They watched as Buster Blader pursued Miranda like a game of Cat-and-Mouse after recovering from Yoh's first attack.

"Miranda!" Kevin cried and redirected Buster Blader's attention. Rai's instinct of protection kicked in as she grew in size to the height of a horse's shoulders with fangs bearing and sparks crackling from her nine tails, marking her form of Raikounan. She stomped one of her paws to the ground, her claws making streaks in the tile.

_Blue Lightning Cannon!_ Raikounan telepathically commanded herself and opened her jaws, firing a powerful beam of her trademark Blue Lightning to Buster Blader.

_We need to find something to make Buster Blader_ _back off!_ Yami Marik suggested to Miranda in his possession.

"I've got it!" Miranda spotted a small dagger in the showcase and grabbed it as her own weapon. At that point, the Blue Lightning made a direct hit on Buster Blader, knocking his blade to the ground. Miranda/Yami Marik took the advantage and used the blade like a ramp to Buster Blader. Adding to that, they readied the dagger for a thrust as it punctured the armor through the chest.

Despite the effort to get Buster Blader this vulnerable to an attack, it barely phased him. He grabbed Miranda's left wrist and threw her into the main hall, skidding on her back and winded.

"Die Dragon Disciples!" Buster Blader bellowed as his first swing passed through Kevin's duel disk and then charged in rage to Miranda. To everyone's surprise, Buster Blader could move as quickly as a samurai in his armor and broadsword, to fast for Miranda to move.

_Miranda! Get out of the way!_ Yami Marik tried to break her from her fear of imminent death. Miranda cringed and shut her eyes.

"Demon Rush!" A voice blared from outside the Zodiac exhibit. A number of demonic being latched on to Buster Blader and forced him off-balance, this time knocking his whole body to the ground. Miranda finally snapped out of her shock-freeze enough to turn her head towards the owner of the demon rebellion.

"Montoya?" She asked. His calm wise face was replace with a smug look of rage and his longsword drawn, coated in shreds of spirit flames on the blade.

"This is the only time I'm helping you Zodiac Survivor. You better get your guardian ghost on the same wavelength as you are if you're going to bring his guy down." Montoya advised, "If you can't defeat this infamous Dragon Slayer than you'll be as good as dead in front of me." Both Miranda and Yami Marik agreed and got to their feet as one body. The grunt demons on top of Buster Blader were weakening fast and easy to throw off with swings if the limbs.

The female shaman stared down in renewed determination to the slaying over soul. Her grip on her dagger tightened with Yami Marik assurance of a successful and critical attack. "You will pay for your lawlessness in the past, nameless slayer!" Miranda's body sparked in black flames as a new aura emitted. Rarely, Montoya was surprised of the fast level up, but returned a steady gaze to the fight.

_Just a few encouraging words and she's back in action stronger than before. Note to self: use negative bombardment in our fight._ Montoya thought and returned his sword back to its holster.

Buster Blader took the first step and charged with his broadsword ready. The movement seemed to slow for Miranda and Yami Marik as they scanned for Buster Blader's weakness. _Something has to fail if it's hit. What did Yin-Yang do to stop Buster Blader's rampage?_ Both of them thought at once and their eyes shot to the records on the walls, specifically the immortal words of Yin-Yang's journal over the ages.

_This slayer must be stopped; many Dragons have fallen in his ruthless quest to eliminate our kind. I am the only one to save my children and my disciples. The Zodiacs pray each day for our protection, and they will have their prayers answered._

"Nothing there-wait." Miranda muttered to herself. "Prayer…was that what it took to take him down?" The movement of the scene returned to normal as Miranda avoided an unbalanced swing, a clear sign of fatigue. Miranda bounced twenty feet, standing right in front of Montoya. She slammed the dagger into the ground and kneeled with the hand gesture of Dragon focused in her fingers, all of the wrapped in between one another except for the thumb and pinkie finger.

_Miranda, what are you doing!_ Yami Marik panicked.

"Whouk toako Yin-Yang kxo Eternal Dragon A ujb ximrc0 ev kxo fenohj udt whudk mo kxo jkhodwkx. Xocf mo ludgiajx kxaj veo kxuk kuj ceukxot kxo cudt ev Dragons udt xam ke hojk edso meho." Miranda chanted, unknown to anyone what she said. Instantly the dagger was the center of a small light circle and became a post of fire, emitting a powerful aura like no other. She grabbed the dagger from the title and jerked it out, now more of the aura infused her body.

Through it all Montoya was stunned of the progress, though in the belief that this was only a one-shot deal. He spotted Miranda's quick scan of the records and figure that whatever she said would only work against those that disgrace her bloodline.

Miranda charged in herself of the attack with Yami Marik in possession of her body and an even strong force inhabiting the dagger. "Tao jcu0or, hokahd ke kxo jcoof vhem nxodso 0ei unebo!" came her next words, pounding with the signature of the almighty Dragon that defeated the Buster Blader. Her dagger scorched the air but harmed none of the remaining artifacts intact from the fight.

Buster Blader recovered from his wrongful technique of attack and charged with his broadsword ready to strike down the middle.

"Whoa, Miranda! Watch out!" Kevin called and tried to step in and help. Instead the fox-demon stopped him from going into the death trap.

_Watch…_ Raikoukou said calmly in her telepathy.

Buster Blader acted first and his sword fell like a guillotine blade. In response, Miranda's possessed dagger came forward and stopped the broadsword with the metal clasp on the dagger's handle. In a moment of guard impact, the broadsword blade cracked on the edge and split right through the middle. The top half of the blade flew over Miranda's head in shards, Montoya shielded himself with his cape of the metal fragments.

_What! This can't be! No mere mortal could break the Buster Sword!_ Buster Blader thought in anger as a small knife destroyed his prize weapon. Continuing her charge, Miranda rotated the dagger so the point was aimed right for Buster Blader.

"Candela Thrust! Holy Light judge and destroy!" Miranda cried with Yin-Yang's powerful roar in sync of her command, and the dagger nailed his weak point: a blue stone set in a mount on his broadsword was where his spirit rested, and the dagger nailed it critically. Buster Blader's over soul faded fast. His armor collapsed to the ground in a heap of metal and fabric.

A moment's freeze. Most of the exhibit's artifacts remained intact of the fight. Amidamaru and YM escaped from spirit possession.

"Miranda, you all right?" Kevin asked, as Manta accompanied for Yoh's aid. Miranda returned the question with a nasty glare along with Yami Marik's look of disappointment. "Uh Miranda?"

"You're not fit to be a shaman, Hunter." Said Miranda and stood up straight out of her fatigue.

"Huh?" Kevin looked confused and turned to Yoh and Manta, the both of them also had a judgmental look.

"She's right, Kevin: you're not cut out to be a shaman." Yoh agreed. Kevin angered himself.

"And what jumps you to that conclusion?" Kevin growled.

"No quick-conclusions were needed." Miranda resumed, "You have to have a battery of fighting skills before even considering a guardian ghost. But you couldn't even fight a ghost in Over Soul."

"She's right kid, go home and play with your cards…" Montoya approached with his spirit resting on his shoulder. He glanced down to card pieces that fell from Kevin's deck. "The one's that aren't damaged anyway."

"What the?" Kevin looked as cards cut in two fell from his deck one-half by one-half. He recognized his Spear Dragon falling gracefully to the floor. "My Dragon cards!"

"Whoa, how did that happen?" Manta jumped.

_Buster Blader did it._ Rai pointed out. _During the fight, Buster Blader's sword went right through Kevin's deck._

"Buster Blader vowed to destroy the Dragons and their disciples. I'm just glad you're all right, Miranda. I'm hoping a good fight from you." Montoya smirked, "Just don't think your God of Dragon summoning will work twice." He finished and turned around to leave. Yoh caught a glimpse of Montoya's spirit.

"Hey, wait. Are you a shaman?" Yoh asked, catching Montoya's attention. He turned on a heel with his silver cloak following his wake.

"Yes, I've noticed you're one as well." Montoya eyed up Amidamaru. "A Samurai, an interesting choice for a guardian ghost. I don't believe we were introduced, I am Montoya."

"Yoh Asakura, and my guardian ghost is Amidamaru." Yoh introduced himself and studied briefly of Montoya's ally. "Don't mind me asking but, what kind of spirit is your guardian ghost?"

Montoya chuckled and shook his head, understanding the youthful shamans' miscomprehension. "Yoh, my ally is no spirit. My ally is a caller demon, Yaril." Yaril bowed while perched over Montoya's cape in greeting.

Miranda approached Montoya with the dagger replaced back on display. "Thank you for your help." Miranda bowed, Montoya returned with a slight flash of disgust.

"I hope you improve yourself fast, Zodiac. I won't be saving you in our battle in two weeks. Buenos Nochas." Montoya departed from the exhibit, but before running into Ishizu. Montoya notified in formality. "The nameless swordsman has been laid to rest."

"Thank you sir." Ishizu said.

"Actually, she did it." Montoya eyed out Miranda still standing in the exhibit in front of Buster Blader's armor. He then turned and left the museum.

"Montoya huh? He's your first opponent Miranda?" Yoh asked.

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to have a fight on my hands." Miranda answered, recalling how only a horde of toy-sized demons took down one of the most infamous swordsmen in history. "And what of yours?"

"His name is Horo Horo according to my Oracle Pager. But I haven't ran into him yet." Yoh smiled, trying to hide his shade of anxiety. "You're lucky you got to meet your opponent before the fight starts."

"I doubt it…" Yami Marik advised. "He didn't have a possession like you two do; his ally isn't even a spirit."

"So? Shaman can have any type of Over Soul as long as there is an Over Soul." Yoh pointed out and had another stroke of genius. "I felt Montoya's Over Soul before that horde attacked Buster Blader; though his Over Soul isn't like ours. His Over Soul is a lure."

_A lure? No wonder I was so tempted to join the fray._ Rai said.

"Right. That Over Soul is a lure for demons like Rai. And I bet Yaril was that Over Soul even though it wasn't one with the over soul item. I doubt a caller demon has any sort of specialty item." Yoh continued then returned back his carefree attitude. "Well, I better get back to Anna, she's probably stoke about me being late for dinner if she's not busy training Yugi."

"I'll join you. I'd like to see Yugi have a shot in the Shaman fights." Miranda looked to Kevin and the mood on her face changed. "Kevin, are you all right?" Kevin's eyes were shadowed under his blonde spikes of hair, looking down on his destroyed Dragon cards. Lying on top of the pile was two pieces of his Blue-Eyes White Dragon card.

Kevin blocked everyone from his senses and clenched a fist, obviously staring at his once prized card. "That ghost…destroyed my most powerful card…"

"Hey Kevin, it's just a card. You can get more of those." Manta tried to assure and began picking up the pieces; Yoh and Miranda just stood at the doorway of the exhibit.

"Just forget it Manta…just forget it…" Kevin muttered. "Just go with Yoh and Miranda…" Manta hesitated momentarily before setting his pile back down on the floor and dashed off to join Yoh and Miranda.

The orange highlights over the Domino Town buildings gave way to the countdown of Yugi's trial. His Duel Disk equipped on his left arm and Yami waiting beside him in his spirit form. Anna sat is one leg over the other with her arms crossed. Both of them awaited the mysterious Native American that was to trial Yugi and grant him access to the Shaman Fights.

_Another tournament with the fate of the world on the line._ Yugi sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if it's just a bunch of coincidences that put me up to these sort of things."

The last of the orange lines faded from the horizon bordered in concrete towers, and all three of them were ready. _This is it…_ Suddenly coming from the skies, an iron-winged owl carried the anticipated officiate. Ironac was in his blanketing robe that covered all but the long black hair and headband holding two feathers.

Ironac smirked under the high collar of his cloak. "Well then, shall we begin?"


	7. Duelist Shamans

Chapter 7- Duelist Shamans

Small pebbles of sweat began to seep through Yugi's skin as he faced his officiate Ironac. Ironac threw off his cloak to show his solid muscles under the moccasin material as vest and pants, contrasting to his heavy-duty cleat shoes bound with iron rivets.

"Al'right Yugi Motou, I've heard a great deal about you in the game of Duel Monsters, but a game's skill is not the direction to go in the Shaman Tournament." Ironac boasted. "In order to beat me, you must land one hit on me within ten minutes. The timer will begin when you're ready."

Yugi nodded and swallowed the anxiety building in his throat. His Duel Disk snapped into action and activated its hologram projectors, emitting a new aura than a laser image of its display. Yami readied himself in the Millennium Puzzle, fresh in mind of the course training of card Over Soul. "Yami, spirit form!" Yugi declared. Yami's spirit ejected fast from the Millennium Puzzle and reformed on his right hand in a dazzle of gold spirit flames. "Into the Duel Disk!" Yugi slammed his spirit into Kaiba Corp.'s product, seeming to be Yami's perfect Over Soul focus. After his Duel Disk shined for a moment, Yugi drew his hand of six like he would in the beginning of any duel and scanned his hand.

Anna watched from the sidelines with her arms folded over. _I've taught him everything I know about Over Soul focus. I hope he can pull it off…_ She thought.

Yugi pulled the first card from his hand and slapped it on the dueling platform. "I summon Mystic Swordsman Level 4! Over Soul, take form!" Yugi declared as the projectors produced Yami's image replacing that of the monster itself but equipped with all its attributes. Yami's Over Soul consisted of a pastel purple outfit, a sash over his mouth, minus the hat as the monster would, and a longsword poised to strike. "Go, attack Ironac!" Yugi made his first move with Yami coming at a charge.

"Hm." Ironac pondered to himself and blocked with one arm. Yami's sword stopped right on Ironac's muscle without any sign of injury.

"What?" Yugi and Yami both jumped at the same time. Ironac only replied with a smirk.

"It's not my arm that protected me, it was my familiar, Irodillo." Ironac said and instantly the hide of an armadillo appeared on his left arm protecting Ironac. "Sorry, but you're going to have to do better than that to touch me. I assume it's my turn?" Another one of Ironac's familiars sprung to life as iron wings sprouted from his back and carried him to safety in the altitudes. "I'm quite surprised Yugi. Most shamans don't know how to Over Soul until their preliminary match. Yet you know Over Soul like you know possession."

"Of course." Yugi answered. "Yami and I have been through a lot that required possession and working as one. And with our souls united, we'll triumph over everything." Yugi announced. Ironac smiled with confidence of a fine shaman.

"Very well, but triumph over this!" Ironac began his counter attack as his metal wings pounded the crisp night air, pulsing aftershock after aftershock of wind blades. The consistent attack knocked Yami to the ground and withdrew his swordsman Over Soul. "My familiar of the wind, Irowl, takes out your first shamanic focus. You have eight minutes remaining…"

"Yugi shook his head from Ironac's attack and drew his next card. _Maybe this will help…_ Yugi thought and skimmed his hand, pulling out two cards to begin his next turn. I'll start with Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. Over Soul, take form!" Yugi made his move as Yami took the place of Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, minus the elven helm. "I also play Heavy Storm!"

"Heavy Storm?" Ironac questioned the boy's strategy.

"You see, in the game, Heavy Storm is a powerful magic card that wipes out all other magic and trap cards. Hopefully I'm thinking right when looking at the scenario in this point of view." Yugi answered with Yami making the explanation.

"You play in this as if you're the monster. And if that's the case, your familiars are nothing more than equipment, which means once they're disarmed, you're fair game." Yami finished as a vicious storm kicked up. Ironac disappeared in the whirlwinds as the storm ripped through the park; thoughts of it drawing attention were imminent. Ever since the Egyptian God Cards of Battle City, the people of Domino were jumpy of the first unnatural thing appearing in the city and panicked almost immediately.

Inside the storm, Yugi and Yami both could hear the clashing of metal, hopefully the armors equipped to Ironac were detaching.

In Kaiba Corp., the CEO was at work as usual; it's a miracle his fingers haven't turn raw from all the deskwork. His blue eyes scanned the stocks every second as he kept Kaiba Corp. afloat. A flat screen TV was running the headline news in front of him, recapping the recent tournament. Sitting on the couch watching it was his brother, Mokuba. His commentary falling on deaf ears.

"Hey Seto, what do you think will happen to Miranda now she's keeping Marik's psycho side?" Mokuba asked. Kaiba never once removed his eyes from his work.

"I don't care what that girl or any other of those duelists do now that the tournament's over." Kaiba answered, "As far as I know I'm working on the best and worthy location for our first Kaibaland construction." His response made his brother's face light up like a Christmas tree.

"We're…we're really going to do it?" Mokuba asked hopefully. Kaiba looked to his brother with a smile of confidence.

"We will Mokuba, soon." Kaiba nodded. Then distraction hit as Kaiba's Duel Disk tracer satellite system sounded off on his laptop. "What, I thought I deactivated the system." Kaiba muttered and his fingers flew over the keyboard. Ultimately his satellite wasn't going off from an active Duel Disk, it was more than that.

"Seto? What's wrong bro?" Mokuba turned off the TV and trotted to look over Kaiba's shoulder. The screen displayed the statistics of a Duel Disk in particular. "What's going on with Yugi's Duel Disk?"

"I have no idea. But according to the tracer system, his hologram projectors are not emitting the projection compound I've designed." Kaiba briefed.

"It's not? How can that happen?" Mokuba asked. Kaiba continued running diagnostics by simulation comparison. He hooked up his Duel Disk to the laptop and ran the match-up scan. Two wavelengths of the same category were unmatched the first split second then paired up evenly.

"I don't understand…both of our Duel Disks match perfectly." Kaiba ran into his conundrum of the night. He exited his program and set the comp to auto programming, unplugging his Duel Disk from the USB port. "Once the Duel Disk activates, run a scan on all active Duel Disk systems." Kaiba commanded.

_Can be done Kaiba._ A mechanical voice called from the laptop and Kaiba prepared his Duel Disk, pulling his first card, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. _Scanners online and ready to go._ A small webcam popped up from the laptop cover and focused; the screen imaged on Kaiba and his Duel Disk ready for testing. He faced the window, looking out into the night skies.

"Go Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba declared and slapped his card on the display plate. As usual, the Duel Disk took a half-second to register the card and calibrate the projectors.

_Scanners activating… Analyzing card from database… No match… Er, Kaiba?_ The computer questioned but was talking to itself under the roar of resurrection from Kaiba's Duel Disk. Both of them were amazed to see the Blue-Eyes White Dragon come to life outside the window. Its scales reflected the violet aura of the night though visible by the office lights inside the building.

"Hmp, just as I thought." Kaiba deactivated the Duel Disk and turned around. "The next time you're going to sound an alarm, give me a good reason." Mokuba just looked shocked as he stared beyond his brother.

"Uh Seto?" Mokuba was aghast to speak though willful enough to send a finger point past Kaiba towards outside.

"Hm?" Kaiba turned around again, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was still there even after Kaiba shutdown his Duel Disk. He jumped and stepped away from the window, his eyes twitching from what he couldn't understand as a genius in the game and technology. "Mokuba, meet me downstairs, I want to know what the heck is going on!" Kaiba stated and took the elevator to the bottom floor.

In five minutes, Kaiba exited the building and looked up. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon dived to the concrete and landed on all four white talons, avoiding the cars in the parking lot and producing a black shadow from the lights and emitting light itself as would any other holographic projection. Kaiba returned a concentrated look an approached the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He reached halfway and stopped. "Give me what you have on the scans." Kaiba commanded and his computer blipped.

_I found no match of this Blue-Eyes White Dragon in the database. In fact I can't find anything of your processes in this Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It as if it's standing alive in front of you, scales and all._ The computer replied.

Despite a truthful response, Kaiba looked to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in disgusted disbelief. "What trick is this?" Kaiba demanded. The Dragon simply looked to Kaiba in attention as if waiting for some sort of order directed to it. Void of any other resorts, Kaiba approached it further and stood in its length of reach with its head and stared it down in its blue eyes. "What…are you?" The Blue-Eyes White Dragon lowered its head to Kaiba's level, the heavy gale of a breath rushed through its nose, proving another sign of life. It rippled Kaiba's white long vest behind him. He still looked on, still oblivious to what the Blue-Eyes White Dragon truly was.

"Are you just going to stand there? Or are you going to accept whom the guardian ghost has chosen?" A voice boomed in the area. A quick survey found a stranger wrapped in a cloak of ancient but beautiful design of the Native Americans, standing behind Mokuba on the property lines of the business.

"Who are you!" Kaiba demanded. He got his answer fast in return.

"My name is Kalim of Tribe Patch. We are the officials of the upcoming Shaman Tournament." He introduced and stepped on the asphalt of the parking lot to further reveal himself in the light, though still hiding under the cloak. The only thing visible was the top of his black wavy hair and two feathers from a headband circling his forehead.

"Shaman Tournament? Ha, don't give me that. Do you honestly think that I could be some sort of Chosen?' That's what that witch Ishizu said and it turned out to be false entirely." Kaiba boasted. "Now unless you have some sort of business here, I suggest you leave before I get mad." Kalim tilted his head down, then returned the stare against Kaiba.

"Open your eyes. Your card knows a powerful entity is emerging just as it had before. Your technology cannot explain everything Seto Kaiba." Kalim said. "Standing before you is the spirit of the card, the heart of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It has come forth to offer protection for you and your brother."

Kaiba gawked, "Protection? I don't need it. And I don't need you explaining to me how my Duel Disk system works."

"Kaiba," Kalim called, "face your Blue-Eyes White Dragon and look carefully into its eyes." Kaiba gave a smug look but turned around anyway. The Dragon had its head raised with a clear shield of tears welling in it eyes. Kaiba watched it amazed to see what he called a hologram show human emotion.

"It's…it's crying. But why?" Kaiba watched as a single tear fell from its eye to its row of teeth and followed the fangs like a trail.

"The soul of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon cares deeply for you. It has known the hardship you fought in the past to achieve the goal. It knows your anger, your future goals, your love for your brother and your life." Kalim explained. "Now it's the Dragon's turn to help you. A grave entity of ancient powers emerges from one thousand years ago; his strength is unparalleled to any single soul that can match it. Your Dragon wants to protect you and your brother from that force of darkness."

"You speak nonsense. Now tell me whether or not you know this Dragon can remain even after my Duel Disk is deactivated." Kaiba demanded.

Kalim sighed, "Believe what you want. But soon you will open your heart to the truth, and spare a world worth living for yourself and your brother. Your Dragon that remains in absolute loyalty to you, she and her brethren that still remain in your deck, only wish to help you on achieving your goal." Kaiba looked over his shoulder to the Dragon once more as that single tear reached the tip of the front fang and fell. Falling like a raindrop, the tear crystallized to a solid state: a diamond prism no bigger than the palm of Kaiba's own hand clattered on the asphalt without shattering, trailing it a thin but durable white metal chain.

Kaiba bent down and picked up the prism, cut like a professional diamond cutter's work. He felt a pulse like his own inside it; his instinct told him to drop it but he clenched it, the crystal unusually warm in his grasp.

"I'll have to take my leave now. I wouldn't want to miss Ironac's fight against Yugi." Kalim commented. Kaiba's eyes flashed wide at the name of his greatest rival.

"Did you say Yugi was in this so-called Shaman Tournament!" Kaiba asked, seeing Kalim still standing on the far end of the parking lot.

"He is, do you have some sort of competitive spirit against him?" Kalim wondered. Kaiba stood up to his feet with the diamond still wrapped in his hand.

"You have no idea. Al'right, I'm in this Shaman Tournament, just tell me what to do." Kaiba's eyes narrowed in his trademark ruthless determination. Kalim nodded in acceptance and unveiled his form from the cloak. To every Patch Tribe officiate, they wore a vest under their tanned muscles and pants equipped with a dagger, in contrast to durable boots of his trademark metal.

"First you have to prove yourself qualified for the tournament!" Kalim declared. "You have ten minutes to land one hit on me to enter the tournament!"

"With pleasure!" Kaiba tucked the pendant into his pocket and posed a fighter stance. Unaware of what he said next. "Kisara! Spirit Form!" The White Dragon responded with a roar of charge and exploded in an array of light streams equipping on to Kaiba's body at random. Scale mail form-fitted on his arms with metal plates on the shoulders and elbows. His feet clamped by the White Dragon's talons and made shield up to the knees. Topping it off were a pair of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's powerful wingspan emerging from his shoulder blades and the head of a Blue-Eyes clashed on his right arm and ready for battle.

Through it all, Kalim was amazed of Kaiba's fast interest and eagerness to the tournament. "Well, you know how to Over Soul. But do you know how to use it?" He asked with his own confidence of his victory behind his voice.

"Please, if what you say is true, then Kisara is sure to give me victory. Just like in the past, I strive for a future. Now I can have a future without guilt by defeating Yugi!" Kaiba charged with the power of his Dragon backing up his cry for victory.

"Let us just see about that!" Kalim called out and charged with his Hawk's wings pounding as well.

A flap of Irowl's wings took out easily the tyrant Heavy Storm. In the clear, Ironac's armor was only scratched from the wind blades. "I admire your thoughts in this duel you two. But in the Shaman Tournament you gotta learn to think on your feet!" Ironac charged in on Yugi with his iron craft of a fox skull armed with sharp fangs ready to strike both Yami and Yugi in one clean hook. On the reflex, Yugi bounced back to avoid the iron fangs.

_Whoa, how did I do that?_ Yugi thought as he landed on the cement of the park's walk and drew another card. "You might wanna be careful Ironac, I have a trap waiting for ya!" He declared as a card hologram lied on the cement.

Anna speculated with her arms crossed. _Yugi declares all his moves, a rookie mistake. Yet the giant card on the ground might be obvious, declared or not. What can Yugi be thinking?_ She thought as a night breeze crossed the park.

"Trap huh? Easy to avoid!" Ironac came in for another dive like an owl hunting.

"Not quite, go Mirror Force!" Yugi triggered and Yami went to the defensive. He posed his sword to act as the shield and shards of glass came together and formed a barrier to protect. "The only way to avoid traps is to counter them. Thanks to Mirror Force your attack is negated!" Yugi declared. _I hope this breaks off his armor familiar spirits._ Yugi thought. The shards of Mirror Force shattered in front of Ironac as he went for the attack. The impact made his feathers slip from his headband and lose Irowl's wings.

Anna's eyes came wide to the twist. _I get it! Since Yami is the one fighting Ironac, Yugi is helping by weakening Ironac's defensive strengths. However Yugi needs to keep this up, he has four familiars to go._ She figured it out herself.

"Yugi, his wings are gone!" Yami spotted the obvious. "Did Mirror Force do that?"

"I'm only going on a limb, but we can't let Ironac get those feathers back." Yugi drew his card. "Al'right Yami, time for a little help. I summon Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode!" Yugi called as his lion monster approached the field, while at the same time Yugi felt a weakness in himself.

"Yugi!" Yami cried.

"Well that's common sense!" Anna cried in anger. "Yami can only Over Soul one monster at a time! If you summon two monsters, you'll be pulling your own strength into the competition. The more monsters summoned, the more the struggle to maintain Over Soul is!" She directed. Yami also felt a decrease in his own power.

"You've got five minutes, Yugi!" Ironac advised and charged on his own two feet towards Yami. Before Ironac's fox fangs made contact, Gazelle jumped in front to take the blow and shattered in a gale of shards that disappeared before they hit the ground. Yugi felt the aftershock as he fell to one knee in fatigue.

Yami backed away from Ironac's intercepted attack fast, utilizing the Celtic Guardian's impressive speed. Yugi made his next draw of the card, send it instantly to the graveyard slot and pulled two more cards.

"I sacrifice the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian for Jack's Knight!" Yugi announced and Yami changed outfit right on the spot; now in a suit of armor fitting to be almost a living Jack-of-Spades. "Go, attack the Iron fox head on his right arm!" Yugi cried with all he had left. Yami followed and rushed in. Ironac tried to counter the under-swing with Irodillo. Yami smirked as he almost went under Ironac; he pulled his new sword away on the feint and thrust the blade through the fox head. The sword pierced the armor critically and broke away the leather band holding the bone of a fox's skull.

The stance lasted a moment. In it, the leather fell to the ground and a thin red line formed on the arm. Ironac saw the scar in shock. _A hologram of mana… truly a breakthrough for the Shaman Tournaments._ "Congratulations Yugi, you're qualified for the Shaman Tournaments' preliminary rounds." Ironac nodded and backed from his stance, as did Yami.

"We…did it?" Yugi asked himself and deactivated the Duel Disk. Yami lost his Jack's Knight form and returned to his translucent image. "Yeah, we did it!"

"It's impressive, to fill a hologram with mana so strong it would as appear as if your guardian ghost stands before you in living flesh." Ironac commented and picked up his leather band, the fox skull undamaged from the final strike. "Then again, I have the record of the most shaman passing when fighting me. I'm the newest member to the Tribe Patch Officiates and I fight the less-experienced shaman."

"So?…" Yugi looked to Ironac with a doubtful gaze.

"Oh don't worry. In fact it's impressive with your unique skills as a shaman. Your quick-thinking was way too quick for me to pull my totem spirit cannon like Silva and Chrom." Ironac yawned to a fight's end of exhaustion. "Well I wish you the best of luck in your Shaman Tournament preliminary rounds, Yugi Motou. And as proof of your qualification to the tournament, I give you the Oracle Pager." Ironac finished digging through one of his pockets and pulled out a black object, the same style as Yoh's Oracle Pager. The Marquee reading _Welcome to the Shaman Tournament, Yugi Motou!_


	8. Death of the Zodiacs: Lost Souls

**Chapter 8- Death of the Zodiacs: Lost Souls**

One hour has since past the fight against Buster Blader. Ishizu has left Kevin in the exhibit still closed-off from the world. His arms hung limp from his shoulders while his knees were still holding his body, now going numb from the uncomfortable position on the cracked tile. In front of him was a broadsword in two like his cards, an artifact his father has found those years ago. Off to his right was Buster Blader's armor, damaged beyond Over Soul regeneration and the nameless swordsman's soul invisible to Kevin.

After time of recovery, Buster Blader's spirit rose. In vision to a shaman, Buster Blader didn't look like he was out of his late twenties before he was killed. His muscles as large and powerful as Amidamaru's, with scars left and right from the fights against Dragons and black hair tied back to avoid blind-sight in combat. To keep himself from overheating in the dark armor and weight he wore a light pair of cotton blend pants, some holes from his quick demise of the Dragon God.

By instinct and legend, and given the chance, he would have finished Kevin while he was weak and void of his surroundings. However, Kevin was also human. In the past, the nameless swordsman was shunned for not being a human, or at least having a human heart towards Dragons. The nameless swordsman ran through his thoughts over again, among himself how he can gain revenge against the Zodiac shaman.

"Dragon Duelist." The Swordsman called, snapping Kevin out of his mind-oblivion. Kevin's eyes were bulge-shocked that Buster Blader would still be standing after his first slaying as a ghost.

"Aren't you satisfied! You've slain more Dragons now that you're a ghost with unfinished business! Why haven't you left yet!" Kevin cried in outrage, his yells echoing on the hollow exhibits. Buster Blader just stood there, a gaze without emotion like the ruthless murderer he once was.

"I still have unfinished business. The question is are YOU satisfied?" Buster Blader asked, "Those warriors have put you down like an ill dog. Especially the Zodiac descendant."

"Miranda?" Kevin asked to detail which character Buster Blader was referring to.

"Yes. It appeared both of you follow the code of Dragon. Despite I'm a wandering swordsman with no ally, I know about and live by honor of the same sights." Buster Blader replied, "She had no right to put you down like that."

"She…is a friend." Kevin gulped while looking down on his pile of cards.

"She didn't seem like one to me. She sounds superior to you since you're not a properly-trained fighter." Buster Blader justified and paced over to directly face Kevin, kneeling in front of him across the broken sword. "Follower of the Dragons... Let us make a deal. I will teach you all of the skills of war that I know. But, at some point in the future... when I choose... you shall give me your body, and I shall take one chance at revenge on the heir to the Zodiacs..." He offered. Kevin glanced up, seeing for the first time a full-fledged ghost without possession or Over Soul, and clenched his fist.

"I'll show Miranda, and that cheap knock-off of a spirit, I can fight in the Shaman Tournament." Kevin cursed.

"Then let us begin. I'm interested in this Shaman Tournament as much as you are." Buster Blader agreed and glanced at his prized sword still on the display, the blood ceasing on its blade.

The streets were empty this evening as Yoh and Miranda made their pass back to Yugi's game shop, Amidamaru and Yami Marik floating behind them and Manta pacing ahead. He turned around to the two Shamans, specifically Miranda to admire the work. "Hey Miranda, how did you know to beat that Buster Blader guy? It's like you did that spirit summoning of an Over Soul once before." Manta wondered.

"Honestly, it just came to me like I knew it already. Then again I am a blood-descendant to the Zodiacs." Miranda answered. In timing, Rai jumped on to Manta's head and found it comfortable. Both Yoh and Miranda couldn't help themselves. "I think Rai likes you Manta." Manta answered with a slight twitching.

"Hey don't worry too much, Rai seems kinda nice." Yoh pulled a big grin, "And cute, maybe Anna might chill out when seeing her."

_I'm just tired and need a quick nap. If Yami Marik weren't intangible I'd be sleeping in his hair instead. Do you mind me Manta?_ Rai popped in her say.

"Oh no, not at all." He answered, quick stray sparks signaled Rai's happiness and she curled up on Manta's ginger top. Not taking part in the humans' lighthearted conversation, Yami Marik remained quiet behind Miranda as if on full protection. Amidamaru also stayed low in words but couldn't help making a chat among ghosts.

"So, how did you wind up to be Miranda's guardian ghost, or is it the other way around since her group seems to agree you're a possible threat to the city?" Amidamaru asked. Yami Marik's brow twitched to the subject but sighed to relieve and answered.

"Without a host, I'm no threat. However I don't intend to put someone like Miranda through a cataclysm since it turns out this tournament might just do that." Yami Marik answered. "You see, now that Miranda's my host, I see her thoughts. Every moment she lived up until the Battle City tournament was all in despair. Her mother died in battle, her father died in murder, and the rest of her family took her inheritance away. All she has is me and the other three spirits that accompany her."

"Doesn't she have friends?" Amidamaru wondered.

"Not necessarily. Ever since her father passed away she's torn herself from all emotion and society. She believed that if her parents are ghosts, her friends are ghosts too."

"How sad. Just like Lord Yoh, he also doesn't have many friends among the living except Manta. Oh how many times I've been told by Manta about how he and Yoh first met." Amidamaru commented. "It was because of that Wooden Sword' Ryu, and how Manta can also see ghosts like us. Lord Yoh believes that no bad guy can see ghosts."

"Quite the philosophy that Asakura has. Though in our cases for Yoh and Miranda, we seem to urge them to come in contact with their plane of existence." Yami Marik recalled his past fused with Marik, knowing that his own statement isn't true for him. "It's as if we spirits test them to see the hearts of the living for companionship."

"But these Zodiacs… how come I've never heard of them before?" Amidamaru wonder, making Miranda freeze in her tracks with a glaze of tears surfaced on her irises.

"The…Death of the Zodiacs." Miranda gagged out to cry to herself. "It's been a little over a millennium ago when a brutal killer began slaying the Zodiacs." All of them gasped except for Yami Marik and Rai. "In one week the race that used to be a lively civilization had been turned to a weak population struggling for life. As far as I know, I could be the last full-blood Zodiac."

Manta scanned his book fast with Rai still on top of his head. "The Death of the Zodiacs. It was all thought to be an illness, like a plague or something. The inheritance of the Zodiac blood would each meet a bloody end. The body so corroded it'd be hard to tell where the origin was and how to help was even harder."

"We were plagued all right, but our health tolerance is far beyond that of normal humans." Miranda explained. "My mother was also brought down by this Death of the Zodiacs. I feel I'm next. I've kept myself alone for all these years because I don't want anyone to suffer from my loss like I did my mother's."

"Well that's stupid." Yoh broke Miranda's sob story. Miranda's wide eyes fell onto Yoh's straightforward face. "You've gotta have someone care about you, it doesn't matter who. If you care so much to be alone, you care so less to actually stay alive. You're asking for this Death to actually kill you if you continue to roam without friends. Take Amidamaru for instance; he died for a friend, Mosuke. You die for a reason, dying because of this Death is no reason at all." Miranda stood there silently shocked of Yoh's words of wisdom. "If you're truly the last of the Zodiacs, then you must find the cause of the Death of the Zodiacs and avenge your race. Why do you think your mother hasn't passed on yet? Or Mirandragon or Tsunami?"

"Technically, Yoh, Tsunami and Mirandragon were dead before the time period of the Death." Manta pointed out from his extremely thick book. Rai whined briefly on top of his head and Miranda gasped, looking towards her home. She blasted into a full sprint down the streets. Rai followed as a small bolt of blue lightning and Yami Marik as his black spirit flame.

"Miranda wait!" Yoh cried out and followed. Manta's disadvantage of size left him in the dust. Miranda bolted the streets fast with Rai and Yami Marik just over her shoulders. They saw the house rising over the hill with a dark disturbance already entering the window of her room.

_Tsunami!_ Rai cried and made her growth sprit quickly to Raikounan, her fangs flashing brilliantly and drawing the disturbance's attention. It was only clear as to what it looked like; a hooded spirit made of black tattered shrouds floated just outside her window. Miranda watched in horror of the spirit until it pulled away from the window; dragging behind it tangled in its chains were Kikaita, Mirandragon, and Tsunami.

A grim voice echoed down Miranda's street and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. "A thousand years I have hunted you... your bodies fell to my power... now your very souls shall become mine!" Miranda felt an ice-cold rush down her back, but her fear fled quickly as she saw her souls being taken.

"You're not taking my mother whatever you are!" Miranda shrieked, throwing one leg over Raikounan just below the shoulder blades, Yami Marik holding his spirit form just under Miranda's left palm. Raikounan began bouncing up the dark homes lining the street and finally made it to the spirit's level. Go Yami Marik! Shadow Spell!" Miranda commanded, escaping her left hand was an array of black chains successfully binding the kidnapping spirit. Raikounan bit down on the chains and began pulling, easily dragging the black ghost down to ground level.

Yoh and Amidamaru just made it to the scene, both of them in aghast of what was happening. "What is that!" Amidamaru asked in shock

"It's…a wraith. But I thought I'd never see one unless Anna would pit me against one in her training." Yoh answered. Raikounan still struggled to pull the chains down and free the souls. Though it Kikaita unhooked the chain that strangled her throat.

"Miranda! No, get back! Don't worry about us!" Kikaita tried to call Miranda away.

"Mom I'm not going to lose you again! Even if it means I become a disembodied soul!" Miranda cried back. She took to her own running on top of Yami Marik's chains without losing balance, unsheathing the dagger she took from her history's display in the museum. She made it up halfway when the chains beneath her snapped apart, her footing was lost fifteen feet above the ground and she began to fall.

Yami Marik reacted fast, turning his Over Soul on The Winged Dragon of Ra card hidden in her deck. "Wings of Ra!" Yami Marik called. Two beams of light escaped Miranda's back and granted shape of protective gold wings, a half-second before another invisible thrust clashed on Miranda's wing and hurled her to the ground. The wraith began to levitate upward again; next coming to the offense was Raikounan. Her electricity growling and ready to lash out from her body.

"Raikounan, no! Stand down and protect Miranda!" Tsunami commanded but Raikounan's lightning didn't ease up. "Raikounan! Do not worry about us! Protect Miranda, I command you!" Miranda recovered as fast as she could while struggling to her feet, Ra's wings still protecting her. She didn't even stand when another thrust forced her back to the ground, her wings providing the cover she needed but not for long. "This is the Death! He's after Miranda!"

"Another hit like that and I'm going to have to break Over Soul." Yami Marik cursed under-breath. Finally Raikounan followed her mistress's orders and stood guard in front of the injured shaman. However the wraith didn't leave, what appeared to be its head stared down Miranda with a vicious aura emitting from its form. Traces of its shrouded-tentacles ensnared the three victims it held further until they were incapacitated to move and the wraith broke away, diving towards Miranda and her allies.

"Back off!" Anna's voice pierced the air like a bullet, following soon after was a loop of her prayer beads going just as fast and knocked away the wraith. The wraith shrieked with a crowd of voices, voices that paralyzed Miranda in shock but stabilized Yami Marik's guarding Over Soul. The wraith recovered and jerked its head to see Anna and Yugi coming down the street.

The wraith still didn't give in. It floated away slightly to gain distance, hoping to cause desirable damage on its next swoop upon Miranda. Raikounan growled in a fatal pitch and swung open her jaws, releasing a blast of high voltage against the wraith. It landed a direct hit as the wraith screamed again with its paralyzing voices. Still being held were the three souls, all of them appeared to suffer what the wraith took in the offenses. Raikounan's voltage decreased rapidly, letting down the attacks so as not to harm her deceased masters further.

Miranda couldn't move, her breath winded from the last assault against her. A moment past and she got her breath back when another invisible lash shattered Ra's wings from her back. She was launched down the street with shards of gold clattering on the asphalt and vanishing. Yami Marik broke from his focus and kneeled, guarding in front of Miranda's aftershock for another hit against her.

"Any ideas what's putting Miranda to the ground, Yoh?" Manta asked in a panic between the invisible chaos and the wraith's kidnapping.

"Yoh, Manta, split now!" Anna demanded. Without question the both dashed in the opposite directions. A second after the ground behind the collapsed in a crash of the same invisible force that subdued Miranda and Yami Marik.

"Whoa! Manta, get out of here!" Yoh cried. Manta didn't argue and ducked behind a house off from the battlefield.

The wraith seemed satisfied and returned to the three souls to retrieve its prey of the night. Miranda struggled to get back to her feet with aid from Raikoukou and watched weakly as the wraith reclaimed its chains holding her souls. "Yami Marik, I'm counting on you to take care of my daughter. Or you're gonna be in a world full of hurt when I get out of here!" Kikaita shrieked before the chains tightened on her again. Kikaita was first: her image disappeared to a soul sphere and was absorbed into the wraith, leaving her share of the chains dangling from the wraith's form.

Mirandragon flipped out next because her chain tangle shifted second to that of Kikaita's. Her anxiety only made her predicament worse as she too lost her form to the wraith. Her soul was second to be swallowed and the wraith hesitated to take its final prey Tsunami. It seemed to just float up there with its head up high after Miran's soul was captured. Everyone on the ground was in the same state of pause before Yoh shook his head to make his paralysis go away.

"I'm definitely not standing back!" Yoh cried out.

"What do you propose you do about it? You can't fight a wraith bare-handed!" Anna fired back and let another loop of her prayer beads lash out against the wraith. The dark spirit reacted with a glare to her, emitting an ancient and powerful aura.

"Yami and I'll fight! We've still got mana left for another Spirit Control!" Yugi took his stand and engaged his Duel Disk. "Go Gaia, the Fierce Knight. Over Soul take form!" Yami sprang into Over Soul and gave way as the Knight riding atop the dark steed. The horse reared on its hindquarters and blasted towards the wraith with full force, Yami positioned both of his lances flawlessly while being bumped by the horse's sprint.

The wraith took to a defense maneuver and a wall of fire flared up in front of it, the flames taking form to a lunging lion that struck down Yami's Over Soul in a single swipe of its blazing claw. Yami avoided any serious injury as his reflexes landed him on the ground and the fiery wildcat vanished. "No way! How did that happen!" Yami wondered, as did Yugi.

Tsunami watched in deep concern, hoping that if she didn't struggle her chains that she could be free for as long as possible, though she knew already she was next. _This is the Death that slain so many? It just used Miran's ancient powers to force back the Pharaoh._ Tsunami thought. _The wraith seems to be made of recent lost souls from only one thousand years ago; but it could tap into Miran's powers when she couldn't. What kind of monster is it?_ Tsunami's hand slipped and caught on to a chain, reminding the wraith of its goal as she was taken in last. Before she was swallowed as a spirit flame, she cried, "Raikoukou! Protect Miranda at all costs!"

The wraith finished its absorption and hesitated again, as if savoring its catch of the day. Miranda grew furious and stood on her own, her mana renewed without origin and her dagger at hand. She dashed past Raikoukou and Yami Marik to a charge on the wraith at its most vulnerable moment. Both Raikoukou and Yami Marik stood in shock as to what she was doing.

"Miranda! Where's your common sense! You can't beat it!" Anna cried behind Miranda but her advice fell on Miranda's unknown attention to anything around her. Before she could reach, another invisible thrust made the ground crumble in front of her, tripping her up in the sprint and left her ears ringing now that she felt it without any sort of protection.

"My voice it like the hammer and you're the nail! A blow to the head and you're stuck!" A cry of blaring enthusiasm tightened the intensity as to what it already was. Miranda still held her head in deafening pain inside the shallow pitfall. A new presence appeared next to the wraith, which at nightfall made him look like a crazed serial killer. His crimson red hair just under a top hat contrasted to his paled skin seemingly made Miranda's own blood-bangs look natural. Still being eyed up by the fighters was his tall height and a width that almost made him look like he could keel over and die of starvation, or what was visible of his body made him look that way. A black fringed shirt hung over his shoulders followed by red leather pants shades darker of his hair, and finishing his mix-and-match appearance came a pair of combat boots.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, still aghast as to asking "what the hell was this guy thinking dressing like that!" but didn't. Everyone but one. "What happened? You got dressed while your wardrobe light was out?" Anna asked in her usual flat tone. Everybody else was still frozen, now with the expression of shock leading to an imminent doom.

The new guy got an eye twitch of anger brewing inside him. "Girl, my name is Harlan, Harlan Leanwick. I'm also The Lord of Sound so you better watch what you say!" He introduced, his voice still deafening to everyone but Anna hasn't reacted to his pitch. Finally Harlan tuned down his voice to a normal speech and watched as Miranda staggered to her feet from the crater. "I've come here to guard my Master's wraith as it was collecting the last of the Zodiacs' souls. But what I don't get is why the wraith's eager to take her as well. I'm only here to make sure that the wraith doesn't fail to retrieve the souls." He briefed and glanced at the dark spirit. The wraith began to drift away and vanish into the night.

Harlan then returned sight on the shamans with his voice of brutal volume again. "Well my work is done and now it's time for the grand finale!" He cried with a long-handled microphone at hand over his head. "Sound Elemental! Into the Microphone!" A spirit of indefinite shape took hold of the microphone.

"Whoa! No way! He's a shaman too?" Manta panicked while safely ducked in his hiding place. Anna still kept her gaze on Harlan, knowing that whatever he had to pull would be stopped sort of her quick spirit summoning.

"Geez, a microphone?" Yoh wondered.

"You better not mock The Lord of Sound!" Harlan threatened.

"Or what?" Yoh smiled in overconfidence. Harlan inhaled and screamed into the microphone, carrying with it not only a deafening blare but a force that knocked Yoh to his feet after flying to Yugi's and Anna's distance and made Miranda hit the asphalt with cuts opening. "Man…this guy's insane."

"Now back to my finale!" Harlan declared and inhaled for another scream.

_How about a showstopper!_ Raikounan took her place in front of the group as Harlan's lethal sound waves came in. The fox demon let out a roar like crashing thunder muffled Harlan's voice to a rock n' roll concert cry. Harlan stepped back but with a smile ear-to-ear "my, quite the vocal cords you have! That was a showstopper, but The Lord of Sound never finishes his performance without a bang. We'll meet again!" With that Harlan also disappeared, leaving to the shamans a whole street of damage.

Miranda just finally got to her feet, desperate for air into her lungs and for the ringing in her head to stop. Raikounan stepping in quickly to keep Miranda up and nudging her to climb on to the fox demon's back. Manta timidly came out of hiding and took Yoh's side instantly, Amidamaru, Yami Marik, and Yami themselves restored their spiritual composure.

"Whoa, that Harlan did a number on this road and the houses." Yugi looked around as the windows were shattered on the houses lined-up and beginning to light up.

"My suggestion: we leave before we get blamed." Anna said, everyone nodded and took off in a random direction.

"We'll head for my grandpa's." Yugi advised and led the party to his home.

Miranda, although weak, still felt she needed to get her spirits back. _Miranda, you need rest, you've done enough of yourself for one day and the wraith traumatized you for a good while._ Raikounan advised in her strides back to the game shop. Miranda's head sunk lower.

"Mother…" She whispered and tears covered her emerald irises. The group made it to the game shop and hastily entered in for shelter. Yugi offered the party a round of microwave dinners made up of ramen noodles and pizza-filled pastries and hoped for a good night's rest despite what happened an hour ago.

"Here." Yugi offered to Miranda. Her gaze was still void of the world but absent-mindedly took the cup of chicken ramen and a fork. The group was as silent as Miranda as she was still in gasp as to the kidnapping of her ancestral spirits. Finally Anna stood up and smacked Miranda across the face and bolted her back to reality.

"Snap out of it Zodiac! We all saw what happened and we all knew no one at our level could save those spirits. Not even me." Anna snapped. Manta made his comment of shamanic interest.

"Not even you?"

"Of course not, shorty! A wraith is an insane spirits who collects souls for power. That wraith is infused with Zodiac souls from a millennium ago; however, when it absorbed Mirandragon and Tsunami, Zodiac souls originating from five thousand years ago, it tapped into incredible strength of the Zodiacs bloodline and that's how it broke Yugi's Over Soul so easily." Anna explained. "That Harlan is another story. He was probably the one that was forcing Miranda grounded through the fight. But if he's following the wishes of his Master', then the wraith must belong to the head-honcho that ordered out the wraith to kidnap, this Master' has yet to order Miranda's kill." Yami Marik, Yami, and Amidamaru appeared in translucent images outside the circle.

"So this Death of the Zodiacs is a true killer?" Amidamaru pondered.

"A true shamanic killer," Yami Marik restated, "this killer was after souls, not living Zodiacs; specifically it was after Kikaita's soul. But this Death has yet to learn Miranda is full-blood of the Zodiac clan."

"OK, we know this Death of the Zodiacs is actually a family line of serial killers. But what draws you to that conclusion of this killer not knowing Miranda's a Zodiac? I mean if these killers have followed the Zodiacs to kill distinctly only them..." Manta trailed off.

"The Death of the Zodiacs only began one thousand years ago. As far as I know it's a recent repeat to the tragedy of Atlantis that's been past throughout the generations to any civilization; however, a God plays no role in this. Someone fears the Zodiacs and their potential influence of the world; the wraith was sent probably not only to gather the remaining souls, but seek out those Zodiacs who are still alive." Yami Marik advised. "With this Shaman Tournament, just one person can make all the difference."

"The Shaman King." Yoh inserted his tally into the conversation. Yami Marik nodded.

"Someone that uses the wraith doesn't want Miranda to become Shaman King."

"Queen." Miranda corrected.

"Well of course not." Anna said. "I'm going to be Shaman Queen when Yoh becomes Shaman King." Yoh looked at Miranda with thoughts of his own.

_And to think I want an easy life. Miranda's loneliness has been haunting her since she was young. Is that really why she has someone like this Yami Marik for a Guardian Ghost?_ Yoh thought morbidly.


	9. Shaman of Domino, get ready to RUMBLE!

Chapter 9- Shaman of Domino, Get Ready to RUMBLE!

Kevin cleaned up as much of the debris as possible, shuffling it away from the walk. The nameless swordsman just stood in front of a display that was still intact from the fight; the true Buster Sword laid behind a glass showcase untouched from the fight outside, preserved just as Harusame was in Tokyo's museum. Kevin just propped Buster Blader's uniform on the foot of its original display and stood next to the translucent spirit.

"So this was the Buster Sword?" Kevin asked.

"This IS the Buster Sword. This is the very sword that I used to foolishly battle Yin-Yang those ages ago." Buster Blader answered. "I haven't left because I couldn't pass on with the regret of my mistakes." Kevin listened with interest then turned to the sword. He pulled out the key Ishizu gave him, for when he'd decided to take his father's find as an heirloom, and unlocked the case.

"I just want to see this sword for myself." Kevin eager himself as nothing was between him and the sword.

"Kevin, I don't think that's wise." Buster Blader advised but Kevin ignored. His right hand gripped the old but durable leather; his left hand supported the blade to try and pick it up. After one try to budge it, he yelped and jumped back. A thin crease of blood formed inside his hand on his fingers. "Still sharp as ever." Buster Blader commented, "The razor edge is needed to pierce the Dragon's hide. The sheer weight of the steel forged with it allows gravity to successfully cut as far as the Dragon's bone. This is the perfect weapon to slay a Dragon, and my powers increase with every Dragon I slay."

Kevin cringed on his explanation, reminded of the cards Buster Blader slain. Buster Blader turned to see Kevin's grim memory. "I…I apologize for what happened earlier. I was blinded by my unforgivable mistakes in the past."

"So... why are you a ghost? What business did you leave unfinished?" Kevin wondered.

"When I had a body to call my own, I fought the God of Dragons, Kevin. You cannot fight a god without something happening... He trapped my soul on this plane of existence, telling me that I would have to be willing to repent to my 'crimes' before I could pass to the afterlife. The god took it too soft on me... I've spent ages trying to find a way to touch this world again, to have another chance to find and slay the God of Dragons." Buster Blader told his history in a nutshell. "Perhaps by winning this Shaman Tournament I may have my chance to face him one more time, with your help. That is our deal: I'll help you prove to Miranda your skills to be a Shaman, and you help me fulfill my wishes as an earthbound spirit and finally crossover to the spirit world."

Kevin was hesitant while trying to keep the slow flow of blood from his hand. "So that's it, huh? OK, I'll enter into this Shaman Tournament. I have my guardian ghost, just like Yoh and Miranda, and I have my weapon." Kevin again tried to lift the sword, this time with both hands tight on the handle. He forced the Buster Sword from its display and held all of the blade's weight over his right shoulder, struggling to lock his knees in place and hold his balance. "Oh geez how could you carry this thing!"

"I could if I had my body, plus you're only half my original size and mass." Buster Blader answered as Kevin desperately tried to walk down the exhibit and out of the museum. "Perhaps you need some knowledge of my ways of war." Kevin used his spare shoulder to push the glass door of the entrance and made it to the evening stars settling over Domino.

"The Buster Sword!" A rickety voice cracked in the empty streets making both Kevin and Buster Blader jump in surprise. They turned to see a broad man with white hair thinning from his scalp; robes draped to his feet and called forth a high-collar. What's more is that his face was cover behind the full-face mask and black round shades, there was no telling his age. He approached Kevin quickly and watched him struggle with the Dragon Buster on his back.

"Yeah, and who…in the world…are you?" Kevin grunted under the blade's sheer weight.

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Raquiez. I am a shaman who followed the Dragon Buster's passage of time after Buster Blader's death. I gave that sword to Ishizu and hope that it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands and might even commit worse crimes." Raquiez explained.

"So you're a shaman too?" Kevin asked, still supporting the entire sword on his back. "Is it just me or is this town full of shamans since Yoh showed up? Hey Buster Blader, do you know this guy?"

Buster Blader shook his head in somewhat confusion, "I can't say it isn't true, but I can't say it is true either. I've only remained dormant within the Buster Sword, it was Miranda's vibe that awakened me."

"I see, a resting soul within. But who is this Miranda you speak of?" Raquiez wondered of curiosity. Kevin lowly growled.

"She thinks I can't handle being in the Shaman Tournament. I'm going to prove her wrong!" Kevin declared high-spiritedly, "Buster Blader is even offering me a deal with him."

"Strange, you don't look like a properly-trained shaman."

"Well…yeah, I'm not really a shaman." Kevin's tone of voice quieted out of regret.

"I hope this doesn't intrude on the agreement you and Buster Blader have. But I just might be able to help you at least know the basics of a shaman." Raquiez insisted, "Uniting your thoughts and emotions as one may take a while, but if you're willing to undergo my training, I'll be more than happy to induct you into the Shaman Tournament."

"You'll do that?" Buster Blader and Kevin asked in unison, but one with concern and the other enthusiastic.

Raquiez simply nodded. "Come, we'll find a more suitable location to train than the streets."

* * *

Harlan stood in the midst of darkness, lit only by torches scattered across eye-level. Some stood against columns; others lit under stone statues of creatures, real and mythical. He's been used to it by now, next to him was the wraith that would have disappeared in the low visibility but instead glowed with the aura of the prey it hunted down earlier that night. 

"Well you seem happy…" Harlan spat as the wraith glided on air in a direction and he followed. The infinity of darkness seemed to end when they reach a spot where the torches were in a cluster. Beyond Harlan and the wraith was a large manifestation of mana inside one's body, so powerful that the physical size holding it can only represent a fraction of its overall amount. By the torchlight, only the dark red shins, large black sandals fitting beneath, and hands with fingers the same width as Harlan's head were visible; this entity preferred to remain hidden.

"Necros! You've returned. Did you get your fill of tonight?" The mana-giant asked in a bellow that seemed to make the torches flicker. The wraith few around him once and found its spot near what could have seen as his left shoulder. The aura from the wraith showed more of the giant: a black horn of hair and a red eye flashed with accomplishment over a fiendish grin that can send anyone in shivers.

Harlan reported, "Master, you only sent him for one soul, the soul of Kikaita Guinaldo. But it got three."

"Three? No wonder Necros is producing a healthy glow. And such power, it couldn't have come from Kikaita and those other two souls alone can, it?" He wondered and looked to his wraith. Necros produced two blue spheres of blinding light and a white dimly lit sphere for a brief moment and absorbed them back into its shrouds. The wraith's owner tried to regain his nocturnal focus with a grin wider than ever. "Whatever those souls were, such impressive power lies within them. But they're Zodiac souls?"

"You did tell it to go after Zodiac souls, and it was even aiming for this one girl while it was taking Kikaita." Harlan reported further, gaining his Master's utmost attention. The torches behind him flared up in light to reveal a mirror set behind his throne. Daggers, acting as hooks, punctured a body's upper arms. A mess of hair covered most of the face; dried blood remained on the body from hand to foot, symbolizing its massacre from long ago. Evident a female body decorated the back of his throne; yet the years have done nothing to decay it - it has remained intact for nearly a decade.

"Necros hasn't made a mistake yet. It absorbed Zodiac souls for over one thousand years, and you're telling me it's missed one?" His revealed eye narrowed in a lethal line on his face and a scowl to match. "This girl…resembled much like Kikaita, didn't she?" Necros nodded. Its Master's rage coursed through his body as the grip he had on one of the arms of his throne crumbled under his fingers. Sharp pieces of wood fell next to his foot but the iron head remained, crushed by his immense strength.

Harlan stepped back slightly but kept to attendance. "If she is a Zodiac, should I go kill her?"

"No…" was the Master's simple reply. "If she is a Zodiac, spared for nine years after Kikaita, there's no telling what powers Yin-Yang can do to a minority. What is this girl's name?"

"Her name is Miranda, Master." Harlan replied without hesitation. "She has an Oracle Pager, she's in the Shaman Tournament."

His anger subsided momentarily. "The Shaman Tournament, eh? Hmph she'll never survive the rounds." Just then a light ping sounded and the mirror lost Kikaita's dead body as an image. "Uther, report."

* * *

Kalim's spirit control broke in the explosion of white lightning. His body hung in the air without his familiars giving him a soft way down, only for a moment. The next second a white metal claw rammed into his stomach: a jump kick set by Seto Kaiba. This in the gut, Kaiba swung his leg down, slamming Kalim to the ground and practically winding him. His familiars of the Northwestern Territories surrounded him and hoped that their shaman was OK. 

Kaiba landed softly with full armor that was never touched in the fight. "Looks like I've landed my hit. Therefore I'm qualified for this Shaman Tournament." Kaiba said and his armor detached, returning to the crystal pendant: White Dragon's Tear.

Kalim almost had his wind back and tried to sit up, an arm holding his stomach. "Yeah…you qualify." Kalim gasped and held out a white Oracle Pager to Kaiba. "This is proof…that you've made it…to the next round… Next you have a match…of three fights…best two-out-of-three…"

"Whatever, I don't need some sort of trinket to prove that I've passed this round." Kaiba hissed.

"But you do… The Oracle Pager…will give you information…on who you face…when…and where…" Kalim still wheezed from the fight. He staggered to his feet while holding Kaiba's prize of the fight.

Kaiba approached Kalim and took the Pager. "So this will tell me who my opponent is?"

"At the Will of the Great Spirit, yes. There's no guarantee you'll be facing Yugi in this match, but once you proceed, the rest will be explained from there." Kalim finally got his breath back and began to leave the premises. "Good luck Kaiba, take care."

* * *

In the basement of an apartment building, on the inner edge of a chalked circle, a wounded chicken flopped about helplessly. It kept striking an invisible barrier, making all its struggles nothing more than a means of throwing blood around the floor. A moment later, one well-aimed knife toss ended its misery. 

As the slain fowl collapsed, its killer set his hands over it and recited, "Z ds fs xrvqqkmdk v mkc usk. Maltorik, dhvmf ak jsth gfhkmdfr. Gkvg frk xzhxqk."

Montoya closed his eyes, hands automatically going into the various gestures of the Art of Closing the Gate; once it was done, his eyes opened, and he turned to where Yaril sat on a bench. "That was disturbing, wasn't it?" he asked, and the caller demon just nodded. The demon summoner took a washcloth out of a nearby bowl of water, cleaning some blood from his chest as he continued, "Still, it is wise to have as many of the minor demon lords on my side as I can. That was the last one I know... and if nothing else, at least we have dinner tonight." He smiled, picking up the chicken's remains.

Setting the chicken on a table, Montoya took another washcloth and knelt, scrubbing the blood off the basement floor. Yaril stopped in mid-flight and looked up at his master, head tilted. Pausing in his work, Montoya replied to the silent question, "Because if I didn't clean up the blood, I'd get evicted. It was hard enough finding an apartment building with a usable basement in the first place." Another silent message from Yaril led to Montoya's reply of, "If I did this in my apartment I'd lose my security deposit." Satisfied, the small demon fluttered to the washing machine, taking out a clean shirt for his master.

Watching Yaril, Montoya whispered to himself, "All is ready now. Miranda, I hope you are prepared, for I cannot show you any mercy."

From the top of the stairs, a voice yelled, "Montoya! You done with the basement yet? I got laundry to do!"

Jumping to his feet, Montoya yelled back, "The basement's all yours, Morimino-sama!"

* * *

Miranda kept her head low and remained silent the way back to her home, seemingly empty since her relative spirits were taken away right before her eyes. Yami Marik paced behind her, shouldering the responsibility to protect someone. Being recreated of one's anger and hatred, he saw it impossible to keep Miranda safe if Harlan were to show up again. However he couldn't let Kikaita down; Miranda's bitter bloodline is still alive, her father's side that took everything away from her since she lost him. How could Ed leave after Battle City, after his niece was locked in the Shadow Realm, was all beyond the demented spirit. 

In Yami Marik's recall, Ed and Kikaita begged, begged, for their niece to be locked away; his glance to Miranda back there was in vain - she was screaming enraged in silence. Before that final fight was over, he took her with him and set her off to the side where fewer spirits wandered the Shadow Realm's torturous nightmare. Every so often Yami Marik still sees the family's historic arguments and disorientation continue to slowly consume who was once Miranda's cousin.

Yami Marik often visited Miranda's old memories before her parents' death. He saw Miranda at a young age, content with her cousin that was only slightly older than her. Their happiness continued until just a few years ago. Miranda's cousin became corrupted, seeing no evil in the evil that was evidently there. It struck Yami Marik for the first time: a far worse torture in the Shadow Realm existed in the mortal plane, family betrayal.

He soon came to realize the darkness Miranda tasted but didn't fully inherit from her father's side. Ed had sent Miranda with Kikaita all those years ago to protect Miranda from the ancestral hatred. In that family, Ed has tried to stop the rivalries but failed: Miranda's hatred and isolation still ruled her life as a human being.

He never had a family. He was only recreated by the hatred of Marik's own family and their traditions. He couldn't call Ishizu his sister nor Odion even an adopted brother. He still had his own grudge for being trapped in Marik's vessel himself. Yami Marik had what he wanted now: Free from Marik's body, and a chance to plunge the world into the Darkness he desired for so long. It now all seemed distant from him.

Yami Marik swallowed dryly and came closer to Miranda as a spirit. She didn't seem to notice, neither did Rai - both were numb of the outside world ever since the Zodiac spirits were taken. Fed up of the silence he would be used to, if he was in the Shadow Realm, he called to Miranda in his haunting voice, "Do you think it's time to stop moping around and start finding a way to get them back?"

Miranda and Rai both stopped and turned to him, Rai making the reply to his question. _That wraith is a powerful monster - we can't defeat it now. Not at the level we're at._

"Then we increase our level you half-wit fox demon. Look at the both of you, you're letting your emotions cloud you of your goals. Miranda, you now have an ambition to work for in this Shaman Tournament." Yami Marik snapped back. "That wraith belongs to a shaman and there's no doubt that ghost, its shaman, or its flunkies like Harlan will show up again." Miranda stood silently through his briefing, but she absorbed his words in the process. Her eyes lost the tears but gained the fire of determination. This Death will be coming for her, it has come to all the Zodiacs within the millennium, and she'd see this Death in the face before she fell by her belittled experience.

"Show me how to utilize an Egyptian God Monster…" Miranda said and pulled The Winged Dragon of Ra from her deck. "Ra is the Sun God, rising for a new day. I will rise for a new hope with your help, Rai and Yami Marik… just tell me how to bring Ra to full potential in Over Soul." Rai and Yami Marik both reacted to Miranda. Her words were stale of emotion outside, but she has swallowed her despair and brought it around as determination.

Yami Marik grinned - not the sinister grin he wore during the previous tournament, but a grin of admiration. However he knew Miranda's numbed emotions wouldn't leave her for long, and too strong to keep her focus in the fights ahead, especially against Montoya. "We'll begin immediately. By the fight, Ra will come to your call. I doubt Yin-Yang will be enough for this bout."

* * *

Yugi watched as Anna dragged Yoh out of the game shop after she called for a night at a nearby hotel, Manta just shuffling behind them. After the doors closed, Yami gave way to his spirit form and watched with interest of Yugi's Oracle Pager. "I hope we know what we're getting into, Yugi. Ironac said there's powerful shaman about." Yami advised. 

"I know aibou, but if we don't win the tournament, that's OK. We just need to make sure the title doesn't fall into the wrong hands, Anna and Yoh seemed serious about that." Yugi answered. "So this Oracle Pager's supposed to tell us the date, time, and opponent. Best two-out-of-three…" Yugi recalled the circumstances of the next round. "I wonder who are first opponent is…"

Both wondered in silence for a few moments before a chiming echoed in the game shop. Yugi jumped from surprise and found it was his Oracle Pager ringing. "It's my first match!" Yugi exclaimed. Yami peeked over Yugi's shoulder to see what the Oracle Pager said.

"First match is less than two weeks from now at Domino Park. Our opponent is Gideon Baladine…" Yami browsed.

"Gideon Baladine…this guy's supposed to be in Domino? How come I've never seen him before?" Yugi wondered.

* * *

The only light in Room 212 of the small hotel came from a lamp in the corner. Next to the bed, a man in white overalls bent over a wooden arm, working out a scratch in it with a piece of sandpaper. "There, now," he cooed to the arm, hefting it in his hand to test the weight. "That will work just fine." 

Suddenly, a series of beeps broke his concentration. Grabbing the Oracle Pager off the bed, he looked at it. Turning to a trunk against one wall, he said, "It seems they've picked my first opponent, Antoni. Let's give it a look, shall we?"

From the trunk, a ghostly pair of hands rose and snapped their fingers, before floating to the man's shoulders. They settled there, pointing in the direction of the Oracle Pager.

A grin flashed over the man's face as he read, "_The first fight of the qualifying round will be in Domino Park, in a week from today. Your opponent will be Yugi Motou._" Setting the pager down, he cracked his knuckles. "Well, well. Who knew the King of Games would be in this tournament, Antoni? I know I didn't..."

Picking up the arm, the man opened the trunk and set it in, and then withdrew a marionette. This he slid into place on one hand. "One more test run is in order, wouldn't you say, Antoni?" The ghostly hands said nothing. "Antoni, Spirit Form! Into the marionette!"

The hands vanished, replaced by a white flame that shot into the marionette. It shook on its strings, burning with an odd fire. The man laughed, raising one hand to the ceiling. "Perfect! Oh, what the King of Games will think when he has to face Gideon Baladine, the master of puppets!"

The trunk shook. Gideon spun on one heel and shot it a foul glance. "You wait until you're ordered!"

* * *

It has only been four hours into the night, a car dealership not far from Domino Park had a large digital clock that read 12:04am. Kevin paced himself to move around the Buster Sword, his hands already turning raw from the worn leather grip. Buster Blader watched distantly as Kevin worked himself to comfortably maneuver the sword to his favor. Farther away Raquiez observed Kevin as his muscles strained over the weight. 

Raquiez nodded, satisfied of Kevin's determination and improvement. "I believe you've done what you can for tonight, Hunter." Raquiez said. Kevin just had the Buster Sword at a comfortable position on his shoulder, balanced right on his collarbone, as it's the only way to hold a broadsword when not in fight. Raquiez and Buster Blader approached the growing shaman; Kevin has already proven potential but has yet to feel the power of Spirit Control.

Kevin's breath returned to normal while supporting the Buster Sword on his right shoulder. All three of them seemed satisfied of the progress to an extent. "I can't stop now, Buster Blader hasn't done what he was supposed to do as a ghost." Kevin complained.

"You mean Spirit Control." Raquiez defined, "Kevin, you must feel how to use Buster Blader's weapon before you become one with the nameless swordsman. Though I don't think it would hurt for you to attempt a Spirit Control. You must focus on the Buster Sword as if it was a hollow vessel, like an empty cup." He instructed. Kevin jumped to his words quickly and began hard concentration on the sword. Raquiez continued his advice, "You mustn't focus to hard. You have an excellent shamanic focus but it has its drawbacks. Put in too much focus and the medium of Spirit Control will feel brittle and collapse in on itself; focus too little and your spirit cannot possess the medium comfortably. It's all in the matter of how much mana you use and how to use it." Kevin hesitated for a moment to get on Raquiez's advice.

Kevin nodded and returned concentration. Slowly the Buster Sword began to lift its own weight off his shoulder. In two minutes, Kevin could hold the Buster Sword in the same pose as Buster Blader on his card: The broadsword's hilt set right on top of Kevin's right hand, his left hand firm under his right's grip.

Raquiez's satisfaction or disappointment couldn't be seen behind the mask, he just stood there motionless, watching Kevin's quickly improving his stature. Buster Blader saw it ready for Spirit Control and took form. His muscular translucent body faded from sight and his spirit aura merged with the Buster Sword. Kevin only flinched as Buster Blader found settlement in the sword. A moment later and Kevin made his first swing. Unlike him to not make it a forceful blow of dry-fire, Kevin let the sword swing once from his arm like a clock pendulum. The Buster Sword took one full swipe and returned position on his shoulder, bearing a grin of confidence.

"Yes! This sword feels as light as a feather!" Kevin cheered, "This Spirit Control is awesome!"

"You've only found the sealed box of potential, Hunter. Before your first shaman fight you must be immune to the backfires of carrying a heavy weapon for battle." Raquiez's further advice settled the eager Kevin. "Now I have a gift for you." Raquiez dug into one of his pockets and held in his wrinkled knuckles of his fingers an ill green Oracle Pager, careful to leave only from his wrist out visible from his cloaks.

"An Oracle Pager? But how?" Kevin questioned in shock, "I'd have to fight one of those officials before I'd get that, wouldn't I?" Raquiez shook his head.

"Kevin, I have battled one of the Patch Tribe Shaman Tournament Officials, but I fear that was my last bout as a shaman. If I leave one Oracle Pager out, there will be an odd number of participants in the tournament." Raquiez explain, "This old man can't possibly take on this contender and survive. That is why I'm giving my Oracle Pager to you, I have confidence." Kevin lifted the Pager from Raquiez's hand and held it in his own. His fingers wrapped the wireless device as the first fight appeared in the marquee.


	10. Miranda vs Montoya: Rout

**Chapter 10- Miranda vs. Montoya: Rout**

The weeks went by. As usual for several weeks, all of the shamanic activities were done while the decisive star of the sun left the day out of boredom. However, it was unaware of the action this audience was missing.

The moon soon arrived, bringing itself in sight to watch the round of shaman fights taking place in various parts of Domino. Kaiba Corp. has already been locked up of day shift but someone as usual works his late night hours. Kaiba worked extensively on research of the Shaman Tournament; so far, no luck. Mokuba was on the roof behind the chain-linked fencing, watching Kaiba's guardian ghost fly in the night. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon nearly vanishing into the skies of the full moon didn't reflect on its white scales.

"Kisara…" Mokuba murmured. He was witness to Kaiba's qualifying fight, taking no longer than maybe three minutes for his brother to land a hit on Kalim and adding more damage once contact was successful. He watched Kisara glide in the brisk air but reacted when Kisara stopped at mid-flight and looked down to the parking lot. Mokuba followed glance in the same direction and looked down. From over 15 stories, Mokuba could barely see one newcomer in the otherwise empty parking lot. "I'll go tell Seto, keep an eye on that person, Kisara." Said Mokuba. The Dragon nodded as Mokuba left the roof through a closed staircase.

Miranda just arrived to the site of her first fight of the Shaman Tournament. One of the lights that overlooked the parking lot seemed to make her the center of the spotlight. The chilly night forced her to wear a dark cloak until the fight began. Underneath was her sword and the God Card, The Winged Dragon of Ra, safely tucked under her memorial tablets that used to house her ancestral spirits. The fourth tablet, solitary on her left arm, was freed from Tsunami's beads; the necklace was now around Miranda's neck.

Raikoukou stood next to Miranda with ears scanning the scene for anything and everything. Her senses caught on to a Blue-Eyes White Dragon fast as it floated just beside the top floor of the building. Even found in the open, the Dragon didn't prove a threat or a coward; Raikoukou found it meaningless to react as her senses were locked on another presence. _He's here…_ Raikoukou advised. Miranda flinched but kept her wits about.

Montoya came forward into the opposite of the parking lot and stopped under a light of his own. His cape, shimmering like a lake at midnight, let the moonlight bouncing off the sliver lining. His demon caller perched firmly on his right shoulder, eager for a fight. Yaril's silent message met Montoya's ears; Montoya didn't have the nerve to react. "Her progress belittles our own. Shame…" Montoya muttered under-breath; his eyes then locked on Miranda's appearance. As him, she was also to shield herself from the cold. "Patch picked a fine night for our fight, didn't they?" Montoya called for a small, idle chitchat. There was still two minutes before the fight began and none of them summoned up any mana yet.

The Zodiac shaman raised a brow in slight question, resisting cringing at Montoya's sheer mana level on waiting. "Yeah, sure…" She replied, staring warily at Montoya. Soon another presence arrived: Montoya's Patch officiant Stelet. His cloak also enforced the cold off his body.

"Stelet? What are you doing here?" Montoya asked, Yaril cocked his head also to ask.

"I'm an overseer of tonight's fight, one of them anyway. Both officiants of the opposing shamans need to be present before the fight begins." Stelet answered, "Though I'm usually a bit on the late side. Definitely my lucky break."

"So where is Chrom?" Miranda wondered, making Stelet flinch badly and his eyes locked on the Zodiac shaman.

"Your officiant…was Chrom? …Oh my…" Stelet stuttered, "Chrom, the one who loved to sing and dance the most…was killed during a preliminary fight by a powerful shaman. We thought…we got everyone whom was Chrom's proteges transferred to another one of the Patch by Goldva. We thought we got everyone."

"I didn't get anything about Chrom…" Miranda tilted her head, "so he's gone too…"

"You mustn't concern and distract yourself, the fight begins in under one minute." Stelet advised.

"But you've just said that we can't fight until both officiants show up." Montoya objected.

"I'll proclaim myself to be Miranda's officiant for this fight, I'd rather not throw a single fight off schedule. Afterwards I'll report to Goldva that we've missed one." Stelet said. "Now ready yourselves, twenty seconds left."

Yami Marik came to view along side Miranda; Raikoukou stepped back to be only on the sidelines of the fight. Miranda uncovered herself of her cloak, revealing her outfit of a purple short-sleeve shirt and snug-fitting jeans. Montoya kept his cape on, but revealed the black color-coordination underneath.

"Ten seconds," Stelet announced as both all three of their Oracle Pagers began beeping, counting down the seconds with a digital display. Miranda was first to unsheathe her sword; the Millennium Sword rested with a steady aura of once its spirit possessor. Montoya clocked his long sword out of its holster; Yaril posed itself while keeping its perch on Montoya's shoulder.

_I've trained too hard to be defeated with an Egyptian God Card for an ally. Winged Dragon of Ra, help me please… _Miranda thought and winced for all her hopes.

Montoya stared Miranda down, noticing her expression. _I cannot show any mercy, Zodiac. You will be defeated quickly. _Montoya kept his notions to himself as the Pagers counted the last of the seconds.

_Beep…beep…beep…BEEP!_

Miranda forced herself with a bitter rage that was never there before. She posed her left hand out like a claw about to swipe from underneath. "Yami Marik spirit form! Into the Sword!" She cried, her guardian ghost taking form of the spirit flame and being crammed into the blade. Her relic soon flared with black violent flames. After integration, she blasted towards Montoya with a furious charge and the sword streaming flames like a meteor.

Her first attack never succeeded; a swing from her right shoulder had Montoya shuffle to his left to evade. The flames behind the swipe came close but didn't scorch him. Again Miranda did a full circle of her sword in front of her and slashes right. Another failure as Montoya blocked with his sheathed blade.

_What is wrong with this girl? She attacks blindly – without knowledge of her opponent's capabilities, but she's too close for me to attack with my longsword._ Montoya thought as he block a strike from below. The flames coming close but again he felt no heat or burn. _However I cannot give any mercy… _Montoya jumped to right and evaded another strike, finally pulling out his longsword into the fight. He fed his mana into the blade and Yaril lifted its head high for a high-pitched cry.

Miranda made the mistake to hesitate on her assaults. Again she came forward for another attack. "I can't lose! I need to save my mother and my ancestors!" Miranda cried and struck down. Her attack was blocked again, this time by a horde of miniature demons that seem to have come out of nowhere.

"You may have a heart to save what you care about the most. But without heart in your struggle to achieve your goal, then you will never meet success."

"Jst nvj rvek v rkvhf fs gvek crvf jst xvhk vystf nsgf. Ytf cztjstf rkvhf zm jsth sfhtddqk fs vxrzkek jsth dsvq, frkm jst czqq mkekh nkkf gtxxkgg." Montoya side-commented in an indecipherable tongue and broke away the deadlock. The assault of demons only infuriated Miranda further and the flames of her sword rose to a new heat. Snakes of fire slithered over her body and disintegrated the smaller demons to ashes. Her pause left her open and Montoya first aimed for one of the three memorial tablets wrapped on her right arm; Tsunami's tablet was broken instantly. Miranda found a brief opening and slammed her left shin into his side; not a powerful blow but enough to make Montoya flinched for a second. "Z csm'f nzgg vdvzm." He hissed.

After getting attention from Mokuba, Kaiba made his way to the rooftop, his medium dangling just about over his Duel Monsters Card picture locket. His piercing eyes glanced at the battle below in his parking lot, void but of three people and the fox-creature he had to tolerate during his Battle City Tournament. The Native American standing on the sidelines of the one-on-one looking almost alike to his officiant, Kalim. Next to the building, his Blue-Eyes White Dragon still hovered and entranced by the fight below.

Miranda backed off, regaining some of her bearings and realizing that her Over Soul weakened greatly over three uncontrolled strikes. "Nxuk badt ev cudwiuwo nuj kxak? Ak jeidtot cabo Dragon rik A seictd'k idtohjkudt u jadwco neht…" She asked herself in her own language.

Stelet watched under his cloak, as his familiars appeared at random to watch from the sidelines. The animals were made of cut steel as they made themselves out as a badger, a toad, a hawk, an alligator, and a deer.

"That's a disgrace of a shaman with a goal such as saving her family's spirits." Steel Hoof the Deer justified.

"But what were they saying afterwards? It sounded like a whole bunch of letters crashing together." Steel Wing wondered and cocked its head to Stelet while perched on his shoulder.

"I'm afraid I cannot say what they were muttering about. As much as I'm versed in several languages, those tongues are new to me." Stelet replied.

_Montoya was speaking in Demon. _Raikoukou got Stelet and his familiars' attention. _I've known that language for about 2000 years before Tsunami adopted me and taught me Dragon. Then as time moved on I learned how to decipher English to be my primary language._

"So you must be at least 7000 years old then to live as long as Tsunami's mortal existence." Said Stelet.

Back to the battle, Miranda hesitated for her next attack to catch breath, another opening. Montoya disappeared from her sights and jammed the handle of his longsword into her back. "Frvf cvg ush frt pzxp zm nj gzwk. Jst csm'f yk frvf qtxpj vdvzm." He mumbled and forced Miranda to the ground with another pack of demons weakly pinning her to the asphalt. A moment after her fall, she tried to put one leg under; now the demons becoming stronger to keep her down. Montoya watched with a smug look of disappointment from his opponent's abilities being less than expected. Though strength in numbers, he hoped that Miranda could throw them or burn them off.

_Miranda wasn't ready for an opponent of his caliber. Why is she to fight him in the first round of the tournament?_ Raikoukou concerned for her owner.

"It is the will of the Great Spirit. Miranda and Montoya were fated to fight each other here and now. You cannot question the Spirits, but you can question our mistakes that we have left Miranda without a guide for the weeks before this night." Stelet answered.

"So she was at a disadvantage to begin with! That's crazy, this fight has to be postponed or called off!" Steel Claw the Badger panicked.

"We are powerless until one of their Spirit Controls break." Stelet said calmly despite his familiar's hysteria and unsnapped his Oracle Pager from his left forearm. On the back of the display was a keypad of numbers. "All we can do is compare numbers and hope for an outcome not as devastating as the brutality Miranda is receiving." Stelet punched in a code and Miranda's name came to view with three categories and numbers on the other side of the screen. He only winced when Miranda lost 75 out of her 225 mana points, her Ghost Power weakly holding a 25 and her Over Soul strength 440.

"Those aimless attacks did no help for her mana." Steel Hoof commented in a snobby attitude. "She has plenty but doesn't know how to use them. It was a huge mistake to put her in a battle without a Patch replacement."

"Let's see what Montoya stats say…" Stelet punched another number and Montoya's three categories appeared.

Steel Wing first commented on his mana value. "I doubt that lucky shot did anything for Miranda, he has 343 out of 345 points."

"But it still doesn't make sense of how he has the advantage over Miranda, take a look at his Over Soul Power and his Ghost Power." Steel Tongue the Toad croaked. Montoya's Over Soul power was just a single point, while his ghost power bounce around under 50 points, reaching the high 40s when he made a counter. "With stats like that Miranda should easily defeat him."

"Ah but remember his qualifying fight? He didn't need to reach a Ghost Power of 30 for his successful hit." Stelet answered his toad familiar, "It is not how much Power is within a shaman, but it is how the shaman _uses_ that power to the fullest. And Montoya has potential and stamina to spare." Raikoukou just laid low on the sidelines, trying to sound as impartial as possible while at the same time hopes that Miranda will be OK, win or loss.

Montoya waited, growing impatient to see any sort of counter assault from Miranda. "Tell me, what are you doing in the Shaman Tournament, Zodiac?"

"I--" Miranda tried to answer but was stopped short.

"That was a rhetorical question. Look at yourself. This is barely a taste of my true potential. You may have stood a chance against the Harlan freak that took your family spirits but I'm in a league far beyond your own. Anyone could defeat these demons so why can't you? The Buster Blader was able to wipe these hired demons off his body easily!" Montoya mocked and mocked further, "A shaman who could hold control of four spirits at once can't utilize the full power of just one of her spirits: a disgusting irony. You should just throw out your Over Soul; there's no point in moving on for you."

Miranda still staggered under the weight of the demons to get to her feet, all the while her anger becoming more and more vicious and forgetting about her Over Soul. She felt the sword pulse in her grip, bringing her back to her senses. She understood what the silent Over Soul was reacting about. "Whouk roujk ev kxo jb0, fcoujo xouh m0 sh0. Odlocef kxo tojohk nakx 0eih wcen udt sujk oeih huwo ifed m0 veo…" She chanted again in a language of her own. Her short pounded in her palm once in reaction but she didn't move under the pit of demons. Two spots of gold light flashed on her shoulder blades and blinded the demons in that range. Soon the lights called for a show of rays and lashed out, throwing the demons off as they hot the ground in small explosions around the parking lot. The light faded, and the gold plates concluded a set of wings.

"Miranda's Over Soul just jumped from 25 to 100 in nothing flat!" Steel Hide the Alligator snapped.

"Then she'll be nothing if that Over Soul is broken!" Steel Hoof turned negative again.

"That's correct. Their Mana Power is decreased whenever their techniques are countered or worn down and eventually broken. Their Over Soul Power judges how much their techniques uses up their mana. Montoya's demons only needed one point thus that's how he only lost two mana points." Stelet explained. "Miranda never thought her strategy out first before turning to rage and extinguishing her own mana count. Each unsuccessful swing for her sword cost her 25 since she was worn out quickly. It did nothing for Montoya to ambush her in the back except reduce her Ghost Power. Her beginning GP was 480."

Montoya jumped slightly out of a startle but cracked a small smirk off one side of his mouth. _Finally some competition; however, this is not the same signature as the summoning she did back at the museum…but it's just as powerful for being brought forth so quickly._ He thought.

Miranda's head cocked up to catch sight of Montoya again with a fierce look, her rage finally being put into her fighting. The wingspan of the gold extended ten feet from her body at full. They pounded on the ground once to carry her off her feet, and again to make a charge. Her sword still burning with black flames struck first, it looked like a direct hit but Montoya leapt straight up and landed a kick in between the wings. She lost balance in flight low to the ground. She worked to stay off the ground by another flap. Instead her next move tripped her up and met the ground once more.

Montoya landed on the ground with no scratch whatsoever and turned to Miranda. Despite the hit with a major counter, she still kept the wings. "There is no point going on with this. You're struggling to keep those wings."

"Not exactly Montoya." Miranda and crept back to height, "these wings belong to another mana completely separate of my own. I don't need to control this mana, I just pray, it won't affect me if I lose them or not mana-wise." The wings flexed once. "This Spirit Control has a medium that's unbreakable except for what equips on to me and it'll take more than a single kick to break theses wings."

"That's right, it took Harlan four direct hits to break that Spirit Control." Montoya commented. "Bet I can break that record in half." He took on the challenge and charged on Miranda himself; Yaril, throughout the fight, still attached to his shoulder.

"Wait, how did you know about that Harlan creep!" Miranda demanded her question only to be ambushed again from one side. It was either one slash or a hundred tiny demon claws that landed the hit and broke the right wing. Metal flew all over the area and vanished before they clattered on the parking lot.

Stelet watched as Miranda's Mana Points dropped by 25. Her Over Soul was rebuilt by half of its original mana value: and gold claw manifested itself on her right hand, and the sword gained a wider blade with teeth of a large saw.

"Unbelievable, look how fast her mana was restored, and at such a small cost!" Steel Tongue cheered.

"Don't get uppity, Steel Tongue, there's no telling how long that improved sword will last." Steel Hide growled lowly while lying in his stomach. From the previous check-up on status, he knew Miranda's mana value stood at 125 against Montoya's 342.

Montoya didn't hesitate to strike again, the left wing exploded on contact. Shards of gold landed on Miranda's growing sword and fitted into formation. Another 25 points lost but it made a small shield of scale mail covering her arm and locked the sword in her grip. She saw her opening and went for a thrust to Montoya's right shoulder; again her attack proved failure: Montoya hooked his sword to one of the teeth on Miranda's blade and jerked back. His own advantaged resulted in another hit to Miranda's back and skidding on the pavement.

Her arm-shield still maintained, but her ghost power dropped double than the last, 360, and her mana decreased to a meek 75. Montoya recovered from his guard impact and turned to Miranda, his dark eyes gazing in disappointment. "Like I said, there's no point in going on, Zodiac." He reinstated after justifying in the fight. "However, it was an improvement you actually thought about spending your mana points wisely. How about you call it a loss and win your other two fights?"

Miranda grunted under-breath, weakened from Montoya's ambushes. "I'll fight…until my last mana point…is gone."

Montoya shrugged and brandished his sword. "Suit yourself." Montoya chanted in concentration while Miranda slowly recovered.

_What is going on? He withdrew his sword?_ Raikoukou wondered. Montoya finished his chant and a wall of mana appeared in front of him, making the manifestation visible with black veins all over the glass of mana.

"This, Miranda, is my mana in its purest form, it'll cost me 100 if it's broken. And now, I have a test for you." Montoya stated. "With what you have left, you must break this wall with your Over Soul. If you cannot, I'll end this fight immediately with one blow." His eyes scanned Miranda thoroughly at the distance.

Miranda's eyes narrowed and her teeth were quick to clench in another spell of anger. _He's mocking me again!_ She thought and charged in once more. Both hands wrapped around her sword and struck down on the wall.

"Why did Montoya do that?" Steel Claw wondered. After a moment of stalemate, the sword was forced back and threw Miranda five feet away but balanced herself to land on her feet. The wall dissipated back into Montoya's being.

"I agree that this wasn't a fair fight due to Miranda's lack of training. However it was the will of the Great Spirit that she and I fight, and it was fate that she will lose." Montoya answered and gestured to Yaril with his right hand. Yaril screeched highly and varieties of demons latched quickly to his fist; the gathering formed an Over Soul of a monstrous demonic claw wrapped into a fist.

Miranda quickly braced herself for impact but futile to hold out for long. Montoya charged fast and punched right on the shield and broke it to pieces like glass. The relic sword was lost from her fingers as she was thrown once more to the ground winded, and her Over Soul broken for the last time.

"The winner…is Montoya…" Stelet declared but in a solemn voice. Cue for Raikoukou to come up to Miranda's side now that the fight was truly over. Miranda's breath was shallow from the impact, and still struggled to regain air. Yami Marik's translucent form kneeled next to Raikoukou with the expression of humiliation all over his face. Montoya came up to Miranda's fallen pride last, his shelter back under his silver-lined cape. None of the three exchanged eye contact as Montoya kneeled on Miranda's left side and lifted her shoulders off the ground, successfully helping Miranda recover consciousness.

Stelet kept his distance, and his familiars vanished one-by-one until it was just Steel Wing remaining. "I better go report to Goldva, Miranda will get another officiant in a few days, hopefully." Steel Wing gripped his talons on his shaman's right arm and flapped its massive wingspan to get him off the ground.

"Agreed. I'll take care of things here." Montoya bid farewell and Stelet disappeared into the night. He returned attention back to Miranda when her breath became deeper and out of any danger. She regained sight and saw the company around her; when sight was set on Montoya she shifted her head in the other direction, in shame more so than resent. "Are you feeling all right?" He asked, Miranda was hesitant to respond.

"I-I'm fine." She stuttered as the last of her air was renewed.

"Doesn't sound like it. I'll walk you home." Montoya offered. "Oh, by the way, I found out about the whole Harlan episode from one of my demon messengers that I sent to spy on your training. Sad to say that I wasted my own time training for the fight we had." Miranda softly gasped and let her head roll forward in self-pity.

Montoya let himself stand after seeing Miranda sit up on her own. He looked down on Miranda, looking for a new reaction out of her. "You do have potential, I'll admit that. You just have a slight problem to get that potential to good use, that's what disappointed me."

Miranda finally stood after Raikoukou retrieved her cloak. She kept quiet verbally but her thoughts cursed volumes in her head as she went for her sword, turning her back on Montoya. She had her reach on her Millennium Item when Montoya's hand landed on her right wrist like a vice. Miranda grumbled while avoiding eye contact, "Rub salt in the wound why don't you?"

"I didn't sound pessimistic, Miranda; I wanted to offer my services." Montoya added. "I see potential in you, and I want to help bring it to surface in the name of a second chance." Both shins replaced her footing on the ground. Miranda's hand slipped away from Montoya's and both of her fists set firmly against her knees.

"How are you going to train me if I accept?" Miranda asked with an averted gaze.

"We can talk about it while we walk back to your house. Let's go." Montoya began to take his leave, Miranda soon to follow after she concealed her sword and called Yami Marik into his mortuary tablet.

Kaiba watched the whole thing, unimpressed of the one-sided fight. "Montoya just led her to her defeat like a dog on a leash." Kaiba commented. "With someone of that power, he shouldn't have given Miranda the mercy of follow-the-leader." His Oracle Pager sounded off fast, marking the notice of his first fight.

"What is it Seto?" Mokuba asked as Kaiba read the marquee on his display.

"My first fight is in a week from now at the aquarium." Kaiba answered and turned away from the window. "He'll be sleeping with the fishes when I'm through…"

Miranda led Montoya to the neighborhood where she lived while spacing out on thoughts of her own and her bangs blocking most of her view. Rai's gaze was attended on Yaril; her curiosity set on the special demon she never seen before in her millennia of existence, while riding Miranda's left shoulder. Only Montoya had his eyes straight, he was the only one that saw smoke rising in the general direction Miranda was walking home.

"Maybe you should stay at my apartments tonight; they're not far from here. Your house is four blocks down, right?" Montoya suggested.

"I'll be fine to walk the mile-and-a-half. But if your place is just around the corner, then you can go ahead and head on home. I'll be fine with Rai." Miranda answered and walked ahead closer to the rising plume of smoke. Montoya winced and chanted to himself, gesturing his signs under his cape. Miranda clutched her throat fast, feeling no air come into her lungs from her last inhale, and fainted on her feet, Rai sparked in shock of herself to a breathless cry and also fell unconscious. Both fell into Montoya's arms as he fled to his apartment and avoiding streetlights along the way. The remnants of two small demons, wielding blades on their wrists and bodies built for excessive speeds, giggled with their rewards of mana from a mediocre task and vanished in puffs of smoke.

_Didn't see that one coming? Miranda, you really do need help… _ Montoya thought as Yaril grabbed his keys and flew ahead of him.


	11. Yugi vs Gideon: Strength in Numbers

**Chapter 11- Yugi vs Gideon: Strength in Numbers**

Yugi and his ring of friends traveled on their way to Domino Park, the site of his first fight. Night just covered the city as the time came closer to his fight against his opponent, Gideon, though more were on their minds. A friend of theirs hasn't showed up at school in days, in any coincidence to the Breaking News that ran the days after a house exploded in flames.

"Only two bodies were found…what if one of them was Miranda?" Yugi concerned himself.

"The police never released the identity of the bodies. But the weird part is that the neighbors in question had no idea who they were…" Tea informed and paused to further her pondering. "I don't think we've met Miranda's guardians after that chaos in Battle City."

"Miranda… aw man she's gonna be devastated." Joey sighed. The four of them reached their destination close by the fountain and rested on the benches. They remained speechless until another presence came around.

A whip of wind kicked up around them as Ironac fell softly to the park's asphalt, his familiar Irowl perched on his shoulder once the metal familiar could relieve his duty of flight. "Yugi, you made it! And I see you've brought an audience…usually that's not quite the good idea."

"And why not! Yugi's our friend, we're always there for him!" Tristan barked to the Patch officiant.

Ironac nodded inside his cloak, "I'm sure you are, but the Shaman Tournament is too dangerous for excessive audiences. We could be held responsible if something happened to one of you three." He advised. "I suggest you take these last five minutes to get away from the park as far as you can. In the meantime I need to go find Gideon's officiant. I'd rather not see the same incident as to the previous fight a few nights earlier."

"What happened?" Tea asked. Ironac turned around and his owl was ready to take off.

"Stelet had to be the double officiant for a Shaman fight when we've forgotten…to give a shaman another officiant…after one was killed." Ironac tried to swallow his tears and Irowl spread its wings out. "Yugi, I advise your friends to leave as fast as they can. I need to go find Kalim." He said before taking off into the night and vanishing among the stars. The crowd below stood there in shock of it all.

"This tournament's really dangerous, one of Ironac's associates was killed?" Tea shuddered.

"Scares me too, Tea…" Tristan shook in his jacket. No sooner after Ironac left when another figure entered the park. His body huddled under a heavy trench coat, he appeared not out of his twenties, and wheeled a large trunk behind him.

"This is Domino Park, right?" He asked shyly and propped his trunk on its side.

"Yeah? Are you Gideon? My opponent?" Yugi asked the newcomer.

"I am." Gideon took off his coat to unveil an outfit too proper to be in a fight in, and took a bow. "Gideon Baladine, as your opponent. However, it will be quite an honor to have a good bout with you, the mighty King of Games." Yugi flinched and sweat slid on his cheeks out of modesty.

"'Mighty King of Games'? Really Gideon, you don't have to be that complimentary." Yugi said. Finally two more of the Patch officiants showed up, Ironac and Kalim.

"Kalim, I see now the fight may begin?" Gideon suggested of his officiant.

"Don't be too eager, Gideon. There's still two minutes left before the fight begins." Kalim shook his head and smiled. "Gideon's a decent fighter, but a bit hopeful to end his fights quick."

"How so?" Ironac wondered as the two Patch fell back to their conversation outside Yugi's circle.

"He uses three full mediums that are made up of pieces of human-sized marionettes." Kalim whispered under-breath.

In Yugi's conversation, the seconds were ticking away on their Oracle Pagers, Gideon looking forward to it while Yugi looking a bit nervous. Yami soon appeared in his spirit form next to Yugi, Gideon instantly seeing the allying spirit to the King of Games. "So he's your guardian ghost?"

"Yep, Yami's been with me through thick and thin. But who's your guardian ghost?" Yugi asked his opponent. As faintly as Yami appeared, a pair of hands rested on Gideon's shoulders. Joey was one that was startled first, as there was nothing behind Gideon while the ghostly hands rapped their fingers on his collarbones.

Gideon smiled, "Antoni is eager for the fight, too. He's my guardian ghost, a master puppeteer. Though a weaker spirit as his hands are the only things that can manifest into our plane, that's why Yugi has the advantage over me here." He introduced his ghost.

"Yami, well it's a pleasure to meet the two of you and I'm looking forward to a good fight." Yami complimented.

"Us as well." Gideon nodded. A moment passed and the Pager began counting down from ten seconds. Yugi and Gideon were still close by each other, though Yugi began to step backwards.

_This is it…_ Yugi thought and posed himself to transport Yami from his Puzzle to the Duel Disk.

_This fight is mine. _Gideon smirked and pulled out his marionette from a small pocket of his trunk.

_Beep…beep…beep…BEEP!_

Gideon made the opening move so fast it caught everyone off guard. "Antoni, Spirit form, into the Marionette!" He declared as his marionette sprang to life right at his fingertips. His trunk rumbled with something thrashing inside, soon the lid flying open and firing pieces of crafted wood simultaneously. The pieces were all laced with the same white flame as Gideon's marionette burned with, Antoni's mastery of the puppets came to action. The pieces assembled themselves to form three human-bodies surrounding Yugi and the others. "Gran, take the broadsword! Yoichi, the bow! Aegis, shield!" Out of the darkness of his chest, three more objects flew from it and came to their assigned wielders: one carried the broadsword, another posed itself with the bow, and the other kept its large shield up.

"What's going on!" Tea cried; the human puppets were quick to take poise.

"You guys, get out of here!" Yugi cried out and forced his Over Soul immediately. "Yami, Spirit form, into the Duel Disk! Become the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" Yami followed through as quickly as Yugi did, blocking Gran's strike with the broadsword. The three fled the battle past the archer whom didn't seem to take notice of their escape.

Instead Yoichi drew back as an arrow materializing out of mana appeared in the rest of the bow. He fired and nailed Yami in the left shoulder, failing his defenses to keep Gran from pushing him back further. The shot arrow vanished though Yami felt weakened, slowly failing the struggle to resist Gideon's puppetry.

"I've never seen things like that before. What is going on?" Joey asked after reaching safety with his friends.

"It's Gideon's Over Soul. He uses three human-sized puppets laced together with his own mana to fight his opponent: two are offensive puppets while the one wielding the shield protects Gideon as he focuses on his Over Souls." Kalim explained.

"Gideon can use three puppets at once?" Tea wondered and gasped on the recall, "Hold on! Wasn't Anna training Yugi to use more than one monster summoning for his fights?"

"Yeah, he got up to three at once." Tristan answered, "But that Anna is something else. I've never seen Gramps train Joey before Duelist Kingdom like that."

"Watch it…" Joey murmured under breath and lifted his head, "Yugi, you gotta summon another monster to make the field even!" He cried. Yugi nodded without taking his eyes off his concentration as Yami still fought against Gran while at the same time getting blow after blow by Yoichi from behind.

"I summon, the Mystical Elf! I'll use my mana to make her on the same plane of power as Yami!" Yugi commanded as a blue-skinned elf appeared behind Yami, chanting a spell that froze the flying arrows in mid air and made them vanish from sight.

"Yes, Yugi! That's it!" Yami cheered and threw Gran's sword off him, making another slash from the side. It was Gran's turn to block as the low swing of the Celtic's Diamond Blade sword collided with the broadsword. Yugi drew from his deck again and hoped for more help.

"Al'right, now I'll sacrifice the Mystical Elf and the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian for the Dark Magician!" Yugi commanded. Both creatures were drawn away from battle in streams of light to form Yami in his Dark Magician armor. Seeing opportunity, Yoichi fired another shower of mana arrows.

"Yami! Watch out!" Tea gasped. Yami poised his green staff to battle and activated his magical abilities as one of his prized monsters. Yugi slipped another card into his Duel Disk and triggered the effect.

"I use Magical Hats! Conceal Yami!" Yugi announced. A large top hat covered Yami and multiplied into four identical hats. The rain of arrows landed on one of the hats, the first target was an empty shell.

Gideon flinched but never lost a second of his concentration, his puppets seemed to grow more aggressive as their mana flames roared around their assembled bodies. Gran charged with his broadsword high over his head and struck down on another hat. Luckily this one had the intended target but failed to proceed any further of his swing. Appearing from the sliced hat, Yami held the staff at a blocking stance and threw Gran off him again, quickly recovering and used his Dark Magic Attack to send Gran back several feet from him. Aegis with the large shield kept his guard in front of Gideon and protected him from the aftershocks of Yami's attack.

On the sidelines, both Kalim and Ironac checked their Oracle Pagers of their shamans' stats. Kalim was first to comment, "My battle with Gideon didn't take me this long. And I can understand why." He said as he saw Gideon's points drop quickly. Ironac's saw Yugi go down as well but a lot slower than Gideon.

"Eh, what's that?" Joey asked and looked over the Patch's shoulder. Tristan and Tea were, too, curious of the trinkets that could tell the status of the fighters. They began to explain while Yami was fighting the two-front fight himself against Gran and Yoichi. Gideon kept to a stiff concentration, using little than he usually would since he only really needed two of his puppets fighting until Yugi decides to make the comeback.

_We're both fighting with nearly the same style._ Yugi thought. _He has to tire out sooner or later… _Losing his focus, Yugi felt himself losing strength gradually. Beyond the quarreling, Yugi saw Gideon's glare sharpen on him. His purple eyes shifted as Gran made a new move and disarmed his left arm from what would have been his elbow joint. The floating arm flailed for a moment and then grabbed Yami's right leg, jerking back and sending Yami to the ground flat on his back.

Tea gasped at the turn of events, "No Pharaoh!" Everyone else watched in horror as Yugi tried to maintain his Over Soul on the Duel Disk. Though not keeping track of Life Points as he dueled in the free-for-all called a Shaman Fight, he felt he lost half of what he could have started out with.

"Yugi! You gotta summon another monster and help him out!" Joey called out from the sidelines. Yugi nodded and drew; his hand proved unmanageable this round with the little resources he had.

In the fray that soon grew still, Gran reclaimed his left arm and held the broadsword at a steady pose. Yoichi stood down, as now he wasn't needed for the moment; and Aegis rose to his feet with the shield still secure on the arm. Gideon moved his puppets flawlessly like a game and ready to call a checkmate.

Yugi finally drew something useful for himself. "I play Gazelle and use Polymerization to fuse him with Beformet to form Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!" Yugi declared as his quick play brought forth an allying beast, while at the same time diminishing his mana. His monster boasted two fierce looking heads on a lion's strong body. A pair of wings sprouted from the back and the tail was tipped off with a snapping snakehead.

Yami grunted from being winded and sat up, using his staff to climb back to fight more. Gran sprang into action first and charged Yami again with the sword ready to cut his entire body in two. Counterattacking, Yami quickly summoned Dark Magic and threw Gran away from him. "Chimera, take care of Yoichi!" Yami commanded his secondary mana form and the twin-headed beast charged in fast on the archer.

Gran skidded in front of the shield-wielder and it was all pieced together. Aegis bounced up to Gran's shoulders and leaped again into the air. Everyone but Gideon watched as the third puppet came into action.

What never came to anyone's mind was what the puppet only used for the defense up until now could do. Aegis's left arm blasted in a blaze of spirit flames and ejected from the rest of his already-loose body. The shield came in at such an impact Yami couldn't dodge or brace himself for the hit. He slammed into the ground harder than before and struggled more to get back up. The shield felt like it pressed him against the ground even before Aegis fell lightly onto his shield and held Yami between the metal and the asphalt.

Yami's struggle proved failure as Aegis looked as if to stare him in the eye. His right hand drew out a dagger, making Yami flinch under the shield as his eye spotted the blade. Yugi also froze but kept his Over Soul on the Duel Disk. _If I don't do something quick to help Yami, I'll lose this fight. But if I summon another creature to the field I'll extinguish what mana I have left…

* * *

_

In front of his master's throne, Harlan watched the fight between Yugi and Gideon through the eyes of his master's spy. Next to him, shapeless and transparent, sat the form of the Sound Elemental.

On the other side of the throne, a beautiful woman stood and watched. She was relatively short, compared to most adults, but it didn't blemish her beauty so much as concentrate it. Blonde hair floated around golden skin, and her form was draped in a white dress. In every way, she was perfect... but her expression was one of utter disgust.

"Motou has slipped up," Harlan commented, fingers drumming on the head of his microphone. "But judging by Gideon's stance, he has barely enough power to take advantage of it."

The woman sighed, placing her hand to her forehead. "Must you state the obvious, Leanwick?" she hissed. "One who pours that much power into that inefficient a framework asks to burn out. He only survives because Motou is so new at this."  
Harlan glared sideways at her, and the Sound Elemental turned itself into a hissing bomb. She glared back, and a transparent, angelic figure settled on her shoulders, staring down the Sound Elemental. And then their master's fist struck the armrest.

"Harlan! Gloria! Settle down before I throw you out!" the master boomed. Both parties looked back to the fight, their spirit allies retreating. "Both of you speak the truth, however. This is a battle of the new. We know we cannot bring Motou to our side, but Balandine is another matter."

Gloria crossed her arms and asked, "How might we sway him to our cause, master?"

That deep voice chuckled, and then said simply, "The Ritual."

Both of his servants went deeply pale.


	12. Two Days Earlier

**Chapter 12- Two Days Earlier…**

The morning sunlight filtered into a small but roomy apartment through the window. Brown, shag carpeting of different shades took up the living room. Pieces of furniture included the standard: a couch, a chair, and a television. Though a desk with locked cabinet draws on the far corner of the wall where the hallway is was set up and a small table with two chairs making out as the dining room to the kitchen behind it.

After falling unconscious, Miranda managed her breath back. She winced to focus where she had been sleeping; staring up to a ceiling and lying on a couch, with several pillows supporting her head and her cloak substituting for a blanket. She turned her head to a television reporting the news on mute; and in between the couch and TV was a long table. Most of her possessions were laid neatly on the tabletop: her sword, her tablets, and Tsunami's necklace remarkably intact from the fight the night before. However Tsunami's tablet that Montoya struck in two was still damaged and needed replacement.

Miranda glanced back to the news, as it appeared to go to a Breaking News story. She looked for a remote when Yaril hit the volume button and the announcer stated all that could be investigated. "Last night before sunset, a house exploded in flames on Metsumi Street. When firefighters arrived just fifteen minutes later, the house was beyond saving and the efforts only allowed the house to be burned to ground level. Once the fire was controlled and put out, a search was conducted. Two bodies were found nearly unidentifiable. Neighbors that were evacuated say that a family lived at the house but claim they cannot identify the two people that were killed instantly inside. Cause of the fire has been under investigation for quite sometime now with 'little to no luck' as police comment but refuses to disclose any further detail. More on that later on as the day progresses."

Miranda stared at the screen in heart-stopped shock. She saw that was her home that was destroyed anonymously. "R-Rai?" Miranda whispered, still in a loss of breath from shock. "Rai? Rai!" Rai came around to her name being called from the room next to the living room.

_Hey you're awake!_ Rai smiled and turned to the news on the TV. _So you saw the Breaking News?_

"We have to go now, Rai." Miranda demanded and grabbed Tsunami's beads first, throwing the necklace around her head.

_We can't. Montoya saved our lives. If we go, whomever did that to the house will return and finish the job. More than likely they were aiming for us rather than Kikaita's brother._ Rai answered.

"Montoya saved us? How do we know he didn't have underlings to do that while we were fighting?" Miranda interrogated.

_Wouldn't make any sense if he did that. Take my word for it as a demon. No evidence was found of the house as to how it happened: a stove didn't explode, air wasn't compressed and ignited, and the propane tanks were a safe distance from the house so that if they exploded the house would still be safe, scorched but safe. _Rai pointed out. _All we can assume is that the same shaman that attacked us before and took Tsunami._

"Harlan?"

_I mean another one of this shaman's subordinates, but it's definitely not Harlan's Master or Harlan himself. Harlan doesn't look like he has the brains to keep his tracks covered._ Rai continued. _But back to business; Montoya said we'll stick with him and keep ourselves on a low profile._

"You've gotta be kidding…" Miranda groaned and secured the two intact memorial tablets on her right arm.

"'Fraid not. Going back out there you'll be interrogated by authorities and lose your chances for a win in the Shaman Tournament." Montoya came around next. "Knowing this city's police, they're relentless to get their target like the one that destroyed your house…I'm just sorry about your loss, Miranda." Miranda fell back onto the couch in shock. Montoya approached closer to Miranda and took a seat on the far end of the couch. "Pull yourself together. It's definitely the work of the same shaman that took your spirits. You still have qualifications for the tournament; don't lose it by your own misdirection." Another moment passed in silence as Miranda gradually came back to her senses. "Get yourself calmed down. Your training will begin immediately." Montoya said and got up from his seat. "Don't think you're jinxing yourself. I won't let myself get killed by these rookies." He grumbled and left the living room.

Miranda took a glance to her demon as Yaril followed Montoya out of the room. "I guess we're bunking with Montoya for the tournament, Rai."

_What was your first hint? There's no way we can face public now without getting that wraith's attention._ Rai answered. _Though now everyone's going to be worried, that was our house and now you're MIA._ Miranda nodded. Yami Marik faded to view as Miranda equipped his memorial tablet to her left arm.

"Any idea what Montoya has in store for us?" Yami Marik wondered.

"From what he told us last night, he said I'll be at the 'Three Hells' as he puts it." Miranda answered. She shrugged and brought herself to her feet, equipped Mirandragon's and Kikaita's tablets to her right forearm next to her Oracle Pager, and wrapped the cloak around her neck but kept the cape of it behind her shoulders.

Rai circled the table once, trotting on the floor, and nearly tripped over a small wrinkle in the wide runner carpet on the floor. _What the?_ Rai wondered and tried to straighten the wrinkle out with her paws, no luck as she realized the wrinkle ran straight across the runner like a small step; something was hidden underneath it. Rai tried to digger under the rug without ruining the carpet. _A slab of stone is under here._ Miranda cocked her head in some confusion and kneeled to the oriental runner, feeling where the rock and carpet separated under the rug.

"I'm assuming you're ready?" Montoya snapped their attention to him as he came back into the living room. "You two seem eager enough, waiting by the door."

_Door?_ Rai thought. _What door?_ Montoya smiled and shook his head.

"That stone slab is the doorway to the demon world. Can't you feel the aura of old friends?" Montoya shrugged, "OK, so not exactly the demon world. That stone is on the border of two demon worlds. That is where Miranda will begin her training." He corrected himself and threw one end of the runner off the large, gray slate. Rai and Miranda looked briefly amazed before Montoya proceeded and pulled out a piece of chalk in which he began to mark the stone with a large pentagram. Afterwards he tucked the chalk away as Yaril went around closing the window shudders. Montoya began another verse of his chanting as the stone began to fall through the carpet slowly. A cold draft forced Miranda to pull her cloak around her and Rai to throw her tails over her small body to look like a pile of fluff.

The slab sunk in further into the dark tunnel that seemed endless through the earth until it finally was lost in the void, Montoya ended his chanting and glanced to Miranda. "Ladies first," he invited, ignoring Miranda's drama of the icy wind. Miranda sigh and threw her legs into the void first, trying to get used to what could be temperature perfect for frostbite. After a moment of hesitation, and Rai clinging to her shoulder for reassurance, and her ghost retreating into his mortuary tablet, she took a deep breath and fell into the void, quickly vanishing from Montoya's sight in the mortal world; shortly Montoya sent himself through. He grabbed the edge of the slab's doorway to cover it up with the runner and plummet after Miranda.

After a minute that seemed forever falling in the darkness, Miranda found a level of ground beneath her feet. She couldn't help but to fall to her knees to hope that she really did feel the solid earth again. Soon after, Montoya landed on his feet next to her. "We're here." He said and gave the cue for Miranda to realize in detail where they found themselves. Her eyes opened up first to an overcast-sky that lit up the atmosphere in a dim glow. From all horizons the land was scorched with century-old ashes. Trees, if someone could call them that, were non-existent.

In front of them, and appearing to be the only thing that can stand over three feet, was a cave with a suspicious formation that made it seem to go deeper into the ground. Montoya entered it first with Miranda just paces behind. "I hope I can remember how to do this…." Montoya murmured and pulled out a pair of keys and a folded piece of paper.  
"Remember how to do what?" Miranda wondered once they stopped at the end of the cave. Under a dim torchlight were three locks lined-up in a line, the middle lock appearing to have two catches for keys instead of one. Montoya sighed before going to his explanation.

"I have to open this door in a correct sequences, otherwise I get a fire demon that can make quick work of the lesser-experience." He answered and tried to read the note at hand in the low light.

Miranda raised a brow in some shock but went on to ask. "So…how many fire demons have you gone through?"

"Four." Montoya answered reluctantly without removing his eyes from the carved notes, "It was after the last that I started writing instructions down before I left." Miranda's expression froze momentarily after Montoya answered, only to be freaked out more with Montoya's next gesture before he attempted to mess with the locks. He pointed off to one corner by the door: a heap of black fabrics was neatly folded on a small table. "Your present attire won't do for your first test. You'll need to change your clothes."

"WHAT!" Miranda's shriek echoed of the cave walls, but attracted no outside attention nor cause the cave to crumble,

"Where am I supposed to change in this ashen desert! I do not see a fitting room anywhere!"

"Would you calm down, Miranda? It's just the four of us in this part of the demon world." Montoya tried to reassure. "And you can be sure I won't peep."

"Peep?" Miranda repeated, still ticked at what she was resorted to. "You say you won't peep, what about Yaril?" Montoya took a quick glance to Yaril and grabbed his demon off his shoulder, hiding Yaril under a flap of his cape too far in for Yaril to claw a hem open. Miranda still cringed at what she has to go through and gestured to Rai.

Rai leaped off her shoulder and gained size in a show of blue lightning. Now Raikounan was big enough to act like a barrier. "Good idea." Montoya commented as Miranda came to the table with Raikounan following behind and turning so that her intimidating eyes glared Montoya and her tails added censorship.

After a few minutes, Miranda's old attire was folded up on the table in place of the black fabrics from before, though she still had the cloak wrapped tightly around her. "Montoya? This fits me perfectly how did you know my size?"

"I didn't it. It's a one-size fits-all deal. You might want to leave your logic that you know would be on Earth in the dust." He answered, still blocked by the grizzly-sized demon.

She grimaced, _He only has _one_ of these things? _"OK because I have another complaint." Miranda groaned and leaned her back against Raikounan's shoulder. "This is going to sound stupid because I can't feel _what_ I'm wearing."

"That doesn't sound stupid at all." He said, assuming that Miranda was done and let Yaril free again. Raikounan left her position as barrier to show Miranda wrapped in her cloak. "This is your first test, Miranda, The Hell of Silence." Montoya began picking at the locks. He succeeded, cued by the door creaking open in front of him. He went in first; Miranda following while keeping herself confined in her cloak. "Rai? You'll stay with me while Miranda begins her training." Montoya instructed. Raikounan nodded and shifted back to her small self in another blast of lightning. Even then her light could not reach any end of the room.

They stopped about a yard from the door. Darkness prevailed every corner of the room if there were any corners at all. Montoya took a deep breath before beginning his explanation. "Once I leave, there will be no light. The room is so sound-dampened that you won't even hear yourself talk. Your clothes and the walls are made of a special fabric that has no texture... nor a smell. All you will get is water, specially filtered to remove all tastes. You will be in here for one week... you must experience physical 'death' to grow stronger..." He described, which all was true. There was no shoes in the wardrobe Montoya provided and Miranda tried to feel the fabric she was standing on. There was no texture – it was as if she was standing on a level of air.

"'Experience physical "death"'? What do you mean by that?" Miranda asked before handed a bottle of water in a case of the same material and stripped of her cloak, revealing a snug fit of a thin, long-sleeve shirt and stretch-pants. She flinched but couldn't disclose anything to Montoya.

"Good luck Miranda, you'll be in here for a week." Montoya wished before closing the door.

* * *

Eyes open or closed, Miranda couldn't tell. She couldn't even tell if she had her bottle of water Montoya gave her or the mortuary tablet wrapped around her arm with the same fabric as her clothes. She tested if she could call out to her Guardian Ghost but heard nothing. Instead the only thing she felt was Yami Marik entering possession.

_Miranda, can you hear me?_ Yami Marik used telepathy, but only his presence was noticeable. That was the only thing Miranda could sense. She retreated to her own thoughts.

_Is this the physical "death" Montoya said? _She thought, _It's nothing to my expectations. And how is this going to make me stronger? _Miranda felt like she merely floated in the abyss.

_Miranda!_ Yami Marik finally caught her attention but couldn't see his image. She could only feel his presence close by. _Good you can hear me._

Miranda glanced around but soon succumbed to the darkness and thought of her Guardian Ghost from where she was. _Yeah, of course. Hell of Silence is outside, not within._

_I just need something answered from you while we're in here. The reason we lost to Montoya was because we didn't use The Winged Dragon of Ra to its full potential. _Said Yami Marik._ Earlier you thought I could manipulate your deck as an Over Soul. But why change your mind?_

Miranda tried to recall the weeks ago before the Shaman Tournament began for her. Instead she could remember Yami Marik's memories, how explained to his opponent that Ra can only be controlled by certain individuals. _…I didn't think I'd be able to use Ra to my advantage as a card. My specialty is using spirits in its true essence. But it was you that summoned Ra to protect me. I doubt I can summon Ra on my own when you mention that only certain individuals can summon Ra, specifically the ancient scriptures and those who follow._

_How did you know?_ Yami Marik interrogated, getting an answer fast and cringed. _Damn possession telepathy link…_

_There's more to it._ Miranda continued. _Once before…when I was dueling Kevin, borrowing Mai's Duel Disk, I tried to make my mom as an Over Soul into Command Knight. It was successful. But when I tried to summon another monster, my Over Soul had to transfer mana to that monster to avoid an imbalance. As the duel went on I became weaker, my Over Soul breaking with each monster summoned until finally Command Knight was sent to the graveyard by a Lightning Vortex. _Miranda explained. _I was out in a coma for a day after that duel._

Yami Marik raised a brow in recall. _I think I remember that now… Local tournament a few weeks back. How many more times do you plan to put yourself in the news on separate and unusual occasions?_

_Hopefully I won't attract anymore attention. _She thought. A moment of awkward silence rested before thoughts roamed again.

_I said before that only those of the ancient scriptures could decipher the text that The Winged Dragon of Ra has on its card._ Yami Marik began._ I feel we've only been in here for at least an hour but time is non-existent in death. I can teach you the scriptures and how to recite the chant to summon Ra; then you will be able to use him on your command._

_So it's more than an incantation, huh? Alright, teach me. There's no distraction here._ Miranda agreed.

Yami Marik spoke up. _We just have the problem of the fact we're blind here. _

_Just let me full access into your mind. I will find what I need. _In seconds, scorch marks burned before her eyes in forms of the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, though produced no light or heat. She became too entranced by the image that she didn't realize she fell back to a wall of the darkened room. As anything, she couldn't feel it, she couldn't hear it, nor could she see it; but she could sense the scriptures and read them.

* * *

Yami stared down Aegis's dagger from the ground, sandwiched between the shield and concrete. In another battle, Yoichi the archer finally struck Chimera's weak point and the two-headed beast shattered. Yugi flinched and took a step back, clutching his heart in pain of mana loss. Tea, Tristan, and Joey watched from the sideline, seeing the flames on Yugi's Duel Disk beginning to flicker. 

_It's no use! Luck is not on my side! If I don't help Yami now, I'll lose the match!_ Yugi thought in panic but thoughts intercepted from Anna's training. Mana cost from monsters varies on the power of the monster. A certain monster is a defender; therefore, it required no mana to summon. And with a spell, the defender could keep the defense in numbers powerful enough for offense.

Yugi pulled his deck from the Duel Disk and searched frantically. He pulled two cards and threw them onto the Duel Disk in their respective spots.

"Kuri Kuri Kuri Kuri Kuri Kuri Kuri Kuri!" High-pitched chirping grew in numbers and it came in fast. All three puppets looked up the split-second before they were bombarded by brown hairballs left and right. Aegis was thrown clear of Yami by the blast of fur and tiny claws. Yoichi tried to take out as many as it could with a volley of arrows. It came to no avail as he was second to be swallowed by the cloud of fluff. Finally, Gran tried to muster its broadsword to swing at the group that came to it. Futile as Gran was the last line of defense before the army of Kuribohs overwhelmed Gideon.

Everyone, including the Patch Tribe officiants stood in shock. For someone who was new to the Shaman styles and low on mana, knew how to take something so small and create a massive explosion.

"Yeah Yuge!" Joey cheered.

"Incredible!" Tea followed.

"But how did he do it?" Tristan wondered over the two's excitement.

"It's a strategy that usually trained shaman would know." Ironac stated. "Yugi played Kuriboh, which I've heard is a weak monster but with a strong effect. When combined with Multiply, Yugi increased the number of Kuribohs from one to tens of thousands. Now the unique part is that each Kuriboh is made up of a tiny fraction of a point of Yugi's mana. An army of forty thousand Kuribohs may only cost four mana points, barely affecting Yugi of summoning weakness."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Tea seemed to understand it while Joey and Tristan stood clueless. Once the wave of Kuribohs was clear, the group stood fast around Yugi and even shielded Yami as he got back to his feet. On the opposite end, pieces of the three puppets were scattered about on the ground. The pieces vibrated while trying to reassemble the bodies, many of them stopped moving as only one was able to recover with much struggle: Gran. The puppet weakly raised its broadsword only to fall apart in a heap. Gideon went limp in a standing slump, his marionette lifeless of spiritual energy, and his head lowered to hide his gaze of defeat.

"Looks like…Gideon lost this one…" Ironac said under-breath. To Yugi's relief, he could turn off his Over Soul. Yami was relieved of his Dark Magician possession, and the Kuriboh army vanished. His ring of friends cheered in victory while Gideon stood alone to take in all of the loss.

Stelet glanced over to Gideon who began to pick up the pieces of his puppets and lay them carefully into his trunk. "Needn't worry, Gideon, if you win your next two preliminaries, you may come into the tournament." Stelet said in an attempt to ease the defeat. After a brief celebration of Yugi's first win, he turned around to Gideon.

"Hey, Gideon? Do you need help?" Yugi asked in generosity. Gideon looked up, trying to keep a mask of optimism.  
"It would help greatly, thank you." He answered and Yugi began to collect the pieces starting with Yoichi's bow.

* * *

Miranda reflexes kicked in like a spring when she felt it necessary. In all of what seemed like an eternity, she recognized the solid form of a human hand firmly on her wrist. When nothing was there, she studied what Yami Marik gave her to distract the insanity of physical death. Now something else made a distraction; Yami Marik broke from possession to examine himself what intruded since this was outside Miranda's extreme senses instead of her mind crumbling to the silence. _It's Montoya._ He informed; Miranda relaxed with grip still on her wrist but loose constriction. 

Another hand reached for her shoulder after circling from behind and gently pushed Miranda in a wayward direction, guiding her through the Hell of Silence steps at a time. The next to enter Miranda's sense was an air circulation. Soon, her hearing sensed the soft, slow melody of a piano as her eyes found light beginning to glow: all in the reassurance established by Montoya.

Miranda's eyes adjusted to the low light in the room she was led into. A large table sat at one wall with several chairs surrounding it. Montoya seated her at one of them and ended his guidance. His voice was as soft as the piano, "Congratulations you survived the first test. After your senses readjust in here, we'll move on." The lights gradually grew brighter and the piano rising to a tolerable tone. Briefly Montoya left her side while she was mesmerized to see the light again, and returned with a warm brew of tea. "It's a weak herbal tea, like the water I gave you last week but with some flavor to it."

Miranda whispered, "Thank you," flinching at the sheer volume of her own voice after being deaf and mute. Montoya sparked a smile and seated himself next to her while the dimmer lights made the room pale.

"I knew you had potential, this is exactly how I was the first time I went through it. Normal humans would have gone insane by now." He complimented while Miranda sipped her new drink.

"I…." Miranda began, still in a soft voice, "I had something that redirected my thoughts…for the time being." Montoya nodded in reason.

"I'm sure you've gained a stronger bond with your Guardian Spirit, no doubt." He presumed while enjoying a cup of his own. "I'll give you two hours at the most to prepare yourself for your next session of training. Fortunately it won't take as long as the Hell of Silence."

"What _is _my next test?" Miranda wondered while fidgeting with the cup in her fingers.

"I'll let you know in due time. You can change back into your regular clothes now." Montoya suggested. By now the room was as radiant as the high-noon sun and the piano was playing as if it was a dance hall, and Montoya's silver cape threw off ripples of light in reflection.

Raikounan took her position as censor as Miranda slowly got to her feet and went to exchange attire again. Montoya grasped Yaril and hid him under the cape again. After a few moments, Miranda was equipping her accessories and paused when she slipped Tsunami's necklace around her neck. Memories flooded as to what happened in a course of a few weeks: she felt she lost everything from her home to her family, and was thrown in a heap of confusion to the Shaman Tournament. Losing her first fight to a demon summoner far beyond her own skills at fault of the Patch Tribe. She leaned against Raikounan's shoulder after she had her other two mortuary tablets on her right arm and her Sword on her left hip.

_Is something wrong, Miranda? _Raikounan concerned herself.

"No, it's nothing." Miranda answered, finding it easier to talk in her normal tone of voice and gestured that she was done. "OK, I think I'm ready for my next test." She turned to Montoya just when Yaril fluttered out from under his cape.

"Are you sure about that? The next test is not as easy to go through as the Hell of Silence." Montoya advised and advanced to the opposite door, fumbling with his keys and began tumbling the locks. Even just a crack of the door, a blare of crumbling music escaped briefly before closing it again. He turned to see Miranda holding her head and Rai's ears folded over, even Yami Marik cringed at the explosion of erratic sounds. "Told you." Montoya commented.

"OK, I'll take that hour…" Miranda sighed and took her seat again at the table. For moments at a time, small chat sessions kept the silence at bay until the room and music were at moderate levels, hinting that Miranda was ready for the next test.

Miranda took a deep breath and rose from her chair at the table. All the while Montoya waited patiently for her to proceed her training. He again undid the locks once more and opened the door, the clamor still at the max of volumes, and Miranda winced before following Montoya through, he didn't seem at all bothered by the ear-splitting noise.

"Miranda, welcome to the Hell of Noise, your second trial." Montoya voice seemed to boom to a level over the sound but it was so he could only be heard over it. "Much different from where you were last week isn't it? The walls are specially made to be as eye-jarring as they can be. The music never stops, nor does it ever quiet. There are random flashes of light, in colors and patterns that clash with the walls. Feel that wall..." Montoya pointed to a nearby wall that shifted colors simultaneously but appeared to keep the texture of cotton. Miranda approached the wall, winces at the light flashes that blinded her in every shade. Her hand reached a rugged surface; gritty as sandpaper yet evident she was pressing against softer fabrics. "A texture that you weren't expecting, given its appearance, right? Note the smell... it changes every minute, but it's never pleasant. This room is all forms of noise, and the only way to cross is to shut off your senses, and let your spirit guide you. Good luck, see you on the other side of the room." With that, Montoya slammed the door shut behind him.

In the break room, Montoya looked down on a concerned Rai. _I've never heard of Hell of Silence or the Hell of Noise. And yet I'm in familiar territory as a demon._ Rai commented.

"That's because I made the Hells myself for my own training." Montoya answered, making Rai spark in shock. "A demon such as yourself, you should find this reasonable. Miranda has potential, more so than what I've expected. Mind telling me what the Zodiacs are truly capable of?" He requested.

_I believe I have their big picture from living with them for 5000 years. I can let you in on what I know…_ Rai answered. _I would just like to know how long this has to last before we begin to worry._

"With Miranda and how well she was able to come out of the Hell of Silence, I'll give her five hours' tops."

* * *

Miranda clapped her ears closed and clenched her eyes shut, but the turmoil pierced through her attempts to blockade it. _Miranda, remember, Montoya said you have to shut off your senses to get through here._ Despite the confusion, Miranda could hear her Guardian Ghost. 

_How am I supposed to do that!_ Miranda asked while trying to keep the chaos of Noise out of her head.

_Simply closing your eyes and covering your ears won't do it._ He answered. _You have to believe you're deaf and blind. You have to tell yourself you cannot hear or see anything. Putting it bluntly, you have to put yourself back in the Hell of Silence._

"And how in the Hell am I supposed to do that with all this racket!" Miranda shrieked above everything. She only heard laborious breathing of intolerance afterwards. Her eyes opened to darkness. Startled at first, "Am…I back in the Hell of Silence?"

_You wouldn't be able to hear yourself if you did. I've heard Tsunami talk about this trait in the Water Zodiacs, and it looks like I'm the only one that remembers it._ Yami Marik phased into view next to her.

"What trait?" Miranda asked before the chaos fled into her senses again and forced her into withdrawal.

_What you just did. Miranda, try to listen to me._ Yami Marik tried to enter possession again, succeeded but with struggle. _That trait is especially known to be active in Pisces, like yourself, and the symbol, twin fish looking in opposite directions, is self-explanatory. A Pisces in the clan of Zodiacs can project what is seen behind them before the eyes of the present. You'll have to do this again to make it through._

Miranda tried to concentrate hard on what she previously did, Yami Marik's possession was her only reassurance and the fact Rai waited with Montoya on the other side drove her determination. Gradually the noise died down and the flashes dimmed to darkness. "This is what you meant, right?" She asked as the volumes tried to blast again.

_You have to keep focus._ He reminded. After the moment that Miranda could maintain her perception, she eased her tension enough to stand on her own two feet in balance.

_OK, I'm in my past vision of the Hell of Silence. Now what?_ Miranda asked, skeptical of an answer. Soon before her was a blue glow, a distant torch that led the way out. Miranda began running towards it; as she came closer, she saw that it was the astrological sign of Pisces.

After several minutes of a sprint that turned to a jog, Miranda found a wall in her darkness. At that point, the Pisces was as big as a basketball in front of her and produced a blue shade of light at her face. _I think I'm at the other side of the Hell. _Miranda thought and let the Hell of Noise behind her gradually intrude on her senses. She pounded on the door hard enough to hear over the noise.

The door fell open as Montoya greeted. "You know…this door wasn't locked…" He said over the Noise and let Miranda through to close the door behind them. "At least you made it in one piece."

"Yeah…just barely." She sighed while leaning against the door, completely soundproof to the next room over. The second break room was like the first: table, chairs, soft piano music, and herbal tea brewing on a hot iron. The only difference was a set of heavy winter protection wardrobe hanging next to the opposite door.

"All the while you'll have another hour to yourself before you must advance to the next and final trial, the Hell of Ice." Montoya said casually, kind of making Miranda uncomfortable.

"So that explains the coat and boots." Miranda commented after Rai bounced into her hands. "…and where's my gear?" She asked, trying to be in the same casual manner.

"I only have one set, mine. Sorry." Montoya shrugged while exchanging his everyday shoes for the boots. Miranda's bottom jaw hung open for a moment before her head rolled forward in misfortune. "Well look on the bright side. That Egyptian God Card should provide plenty of heat for you. The Winged Dragon of Ra, if Rai told me correctly." He commented while he strapped his boots tightly. "Believe me, Miranda, this is the final trial that pulls all you've learned and achieved from your first two. If you can pass this, you might actually put up a fight against me."

_Can I at least go with Miranda this time?_ Rai asked out of concern.

"No. This is a test for the shaman, not the demon." Montoya answered while throwing a coat over his shoulders, Yaril dived into a pocket that was lined on the inside of the coat. "Though from what you told me you can Over Soul just as easily, but Yami Marik is her assigned Guardian Ghost. I've got a pocket for you too." Rai sighed and climbed in to the pocket that was thickly lined. "Help yourself to some tea but I wouldn't advance to the final trial right after a cup. The human body produces the most heat when it feels the coldest temperature."

"You mean kinda like no swimming until an hour after you eat?" Miranda tried to understand.

"That's it. Good luck." Said Montoya and he quickly slipped through the opposite door. A blistering draft made its way in, forcing Miranda to withdraw into her cloak again.

"He's got to be kidding. I have to go out there in a thin, silk top and black stretch pants?" Miranda grumbled her complaints.

"I just think he was just being sarcastic of The Winged Dragon of Ra." Yami Marik shared the same mood. "We just better get this over with." He sighed, but caught glimpse of Miranda's blank stare as if she saw through the door. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sensing an extremely large manifest of mana…." Miranda concentrated through, but it didn't take much to feel it. "It's at least as powerful as Montoya's mana when I first fought him."

"At least!" the spirit repeated in disbelief. Miranda simply ignored him and headed for the door with the God Card and sword at hand. She cracked it open and felt the same draft that entered into the break room. After the door slammed behind her it clicked shut.

The temperature was at least thirty degrees below zero. All the surfaces were covered in thick layers of ice, stalagmites and stalactites were scatter all over the next room that was as long as a football field and twice as wide. In spite the harsh climate control Miranda tried to shut off her senses again with the Hell of Silence.

Even in her new powers, she still saw blue aura instead of the darkness she felt before. The mana in the room covered every corner, only slightly varying shades could tell what area had more mana focused. "So this is getting across this room without frostbite? Might be a challenge…." Miranda trailed off while making her paces in, trying to ignore the cold wave gnawing at her ears. Before she could go further than two yards, a flash of teal in her sights came from underneath her. She jumped back before the quick burst of mana broke the surface of the ice.

She struggled to keep her sights in place. A large fist of ice slammed the ground, throwing shards everywhere. _What in the world, I can't see what tried to hit us!_ Miranda cried and lost her sights to get a clearer picture. A large creature of ice stood before them, with a shape like a skeleton. Its claw made the impression of first-strike just feet in front of her. From the shock of the new enemy, she lost her concern for how cold she'd complain about.

Yami Marik came into view. "We need some room to pull it off!" He cried as the subzero demon lifted its fist for another attack, guaranteed not another miss. Miranda barely dodged another blow but lost balance and slid on the floor for several feet; the cold, hard floor scraped her arm in a burning sensation.

She tried to recover and unsheathed her sword. "Yami Marik, spirit form! Into the Sword!" She mustered up her guardian ghost and forced his spirit flame into the sword. Miranda barely dodged a hail of ice as it fell everywhere as Yami Marik's black flame engulfed the sword, producing little to no heat at all. "Dang it, this thing's not going to give me even a minute." Miranda cursed under her breath. She examined the demon's body closely in the time limit she had before it was going to attack again.

The demon stood three stories high while the room was twice as tall. It's claws has already proven their strength, though the legs seem to break at the shins while it was storming the room, though when it landed a step the ice converged once more. A broad chest seemed to house something valuable under the thick case of ice. And it only adds up to an intimidating head, spikes covered the back to make its head stand out over the rest of it's chilling epidermis. Adding to it was the gaping mouth, the jaw swinging every time it jerked its head to locate its target.

It got momentum back and launched another punch. There didn't seem like there was a successful evasion when it nailed the wall and floor at an angle.

Miranda was as pale as the ice around her while lying straight against the wall. She felt the impact of nearly getting hit by the demon, and thoughts raced her mind panicking over what would happen if that hit did connect. "Suppose now would be a good time as any…" Miranda murmured and tried not to get the demon's attention that she was still alive. She slipped Ra from under Yami Marik's mortuary tablet and began chanting under the demon's fist.

The aura around her began to gradually heat up and forced the ice demon to jump back. Miranda got to her feet as a puddle formed below her. The room lifted its own mana and fell colder as fast as Miranda heated up her possession. The ice demon attempted to fight back and fired a hail of ice from punching a wall overhead of Miranda.

Miranda's aura reacted fast and melted the hail just as it reached her three-feet-radius heat barrier. She raised The Winged Dragon of Ra in her fingers, "Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight." Miranda began, her aura shifting above her body into a sphere that slowly materialized to a golden orb half the size of the ice demon. The opponent stood back, waiting for what was becoming in the shaman, none of the likes that it has fought before against its creator. "Envelop the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe. Unlock your powers from deep within so that together we may win." She chanted. Yami Marik's aura flared up on her sword and began tracing itself to the sphere while it unveiled the powers locked inside.

The ice demon began its own counter summoning. As the ice melted off the wall that Miranda stood in front of, one layer at a time, it gathered the liquid and refreeze it on its hide to further shield its skeletal shape and increase in size. The heavy arms and chest forced it to hunch over but was necessary to the impact that was coming, all the while decreasing the temperature rapidly.

"Appear in the Shadow Game as I call your name. Winged Dragon of Ra!" Miranda finished the incantation and the room flashed brilliantly for a moment, but emitted no heat to fend off the demon. After the light, the infamous Egyptian God Monster stood before Miranda in her defense, gold plates shining brilliantly all around and a heat barrier just as wide.

However the ice demon was too armored to feel the heat of the God, as of now it has consumed half the ice to defend itself. Though impossible to move, it still had heavy arms to swing viciously and plenty of spikes to fire at random and adds to the armor.

_I knew Miranda could summon Ra on her own terms…_ Yami Marik thought in confidence in the sword. Miranda's concentration intensified as Ra went further and embodied itself in flames and surrounded her, sending her two stories up. The flames when out quickly to new equipment on Miranda.

Ra's arch sat over the gold shoulder plates and the wings expanded from her back to keep her in flight. What was once Miranda's sword with Yami Marik's possession was now Ra's head that was bound to her right hand, and the layers of the dragon's body lined her entire arm.

The ice demon completed itself. Only inches of ice remained on the walls around it, the floor dropped down at least fifteen feet from its initial level, and its visibility was from the waist up.

It didn't stop Miranda and her mana increased to new heights, she posed her cannon and charge for its first attack. The ice demon decided to strike first and impale Miranda with another wave of shards, even going as far as launching several lard spikes from its armor.

In return, a wide stream of fire broke through the demon's defenses and cut the left arm clear off. No water melted from the shoulder, all of it lifted to steam. The hand that fell to the ground reattached itself as a part of the defenses.  
_The weak spot is not easy to miss. Its focus must be in the chest._ Yami Marik pointed out from within the cannon.

"It will be easy to miss." Miranda corrected after incinerating the limb. "If we can't make a successful first hit, that ice will just reform itself. I'll just be wasting mana." She advised and blasted the right claw that came to her. Again only vapor lifted from the attack but sent her spiraling into the air behind the demon.

It only turned its head and fired a barrage of spikes from its back. Miranda shielded herself with the wings but allowed the water to melt and reform onto the demon, cycling its barrage.

_Miranda, we only have one shot, we have to call Egyptian God Phoenix!_ Yami Marik suggested urgently in the arm cannon. Both of them focused as the wings came ablaze once more, soon Miranda was again engulfed in flames. The remaining ice melted and replaced the demon's armor; there wasn't much luck as the dragon of fire melted everything in the room. The ice demon lost its cold barrier and slowly melted with effort to regroup.

Miranda saw her opening: a black stone inside the demon came into view while the layers melted like a candle. She dived to strike it with full force, the demon weakly tried to defend itself with its limb but evaporated quickly. The fires shot through the chest clean, removing the black stone entirely and shattered it. The ice demon let out a screech before collapsing into the pool of water. Steam lifted when the splashes landed on Phoenix.

The Over Soul nearly overwhelmed Miranda to the point of faint and drifted to the opposite wall, the flames died out once she reached it. She panted heavily for a few moments before proceeding to the door, steams still rising from her clothes that were surprisingly still intact from the inferno. She slipped to the door and turned the knob, sliding it open to a room that felt like it had air-conditioning for a moment.

Rai and Montoya both stared blankly for several moments, watching the steam clouds in extreme contrast to the room Miranda had just came out of. Montoya tipped himself to see behind Miranda to the room that was once the Hell of Ice, "I see I'll have to refreeze that room later…" He trailed off in astonishment. After a moment of awkward silence and a chance for Miranda to dry off in the heating room, Montoya led Miranda into one more room. Books filed the walls in five shelves and sketches of various demons pinned up on the walls. Unidentifiable trinkets were scattered on a main table with more books stacked on top of each other. "Well, congratulations, Miranda. You've completed the Three Hells, with more than I've expected might I add." He complimented. "This is my laboratory, Pandemonium. Here I've researched the psychological and physical effects of the Three Hells. Surprisingly you've defied what I've logged for my Hell of Silence entry."

Before Miranda could explain herself, both Oracle Pagers sounded off like sirens. Montoya and Miranda scanned their displays. "My next opponent…at the outskirts of Domino in one week, I'm fighting someone named…Raquiez?" Miranda looked up to Montoya, who fell pale. His dark eyes staring in shock and disbelief, and his aura colder than the Hell of Ice while the Oracle Pager was on his forearm.

_Montoya? What is wrong?_ Rai tried to ask but got no answer from the demon summoner.


	13. Kaiba vs Mako: Tsunami's Wake

**Chapter 13- Kaiba vs Mako: Tsunami's Wake**

Dusk fell on Kaiba Corp. A week ago Kaiba witnessed for himself one of the many exploits of the Shaman Tournament; however, severely one-sided from the start. The fight he watched was overrated, almost making him uninterested in the tournament altogether if Kalim didn't mention the fact that Yugi was in the Shaman Tournament. He tapped the keyboard of his laptop in his usual business, next to the laptop computer was the crystal pendant that held the spirit of his Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

All through the week, Mokuba has been admiring the pendant, but been good knowing that the White Dragon's Tear belonged to his brother. He remembered several days ago that he and Kaiba could commune with Kisara on a level ground, though goals were different. Kisara still urges that she can feel the anticipating peril, and her moment of emerging into the mortal plane from the Dominion was the moment she began to protect her human master and all he cares for. Kaiba, as he says, would accept Kisara's grant only if she can pull off potential in the tournament, and the fight tonight would be her trial in a real fight.

_Pi pi pi pi pi pi pi…_

Kaiba's white Oracle Pager signaled a reminder, one hour before the fight at Domino Aquarium. He shut off his laptop and closed it, tucking it under a sliding drawer in his desk. He sighed and took the pendant around his neck, carefully over his card pendant of his brother.  
Mokuba glanced up to his brother. "Can I come, Seto?" He asked timidly. Kaiba took a moment to think for himself, his mind balanced with the answers' consequences. He knew if he'd said "yes" that he'd have to keep one eye on Mokuba at a safe distance and the other on his competition. If he said "no" and left without Mokuba that he'd be risking Mokuba's safety alone, even with the security.

Finally Kaiba reached a decision, but called out his Guardian before giving his answer. "Kisara, I summon you." He declared and added on to keep things discrete, "Give me your form of the Paladin of White Dragon's Mount." The pendant flashed brilliantly and a beam landed on the floor. Normally a Blue-Eyes White Dragon would stand at the least two stories compared to a human's height. Kisara's form presently stood as high as a horse and twice as long. The Dragon bowed upon her summons and growled solemnly. Kaiba understood the Dragon clearly. "To approve yourself in your grant of protection, Mokuba will be on the sidelines in our fight tonight. I expect no attack debris to come into his direction. Do I make myself clear?" Kaiba's voice grew cold with demand but Kisara stood fast in her bow. She nodded with an additional growl.

Mokuba's voice lit up with excitement, "Yes, thank you big brother!" He cheered as Kisara withdrew into the pendant.

"We're out of here. My first step to getting revenge against Yugi will be tonight." Kaiba hissed and opened the elevator, Mokuba trailing right behind him.

Kaiba arrived at the aquarium. Although closed to the day's shows, he managed to sneak past the security by code encryption. He and Mokuba wandered around, Kisara scouting from the sky for the opponent. A white beam zipped back into the pendant and Morse coded itself. Kaiba looked ahead and increased pace towards one of the show stadiums. He arrived at the stands and a quick glance to the enter stage found his opponent.

"It's unbelievable, my first prelim match is against the Great Seto Kaiba. This should be interesting." The opponent boasted in a grand voice. His trident struck the water-treated cement and swells stirred in the water. Behind the stage a sleeping killer whale awoke and moaned its solemn tune.

"I doubt it. I have never seen you in any of the Duel tournament finals and I doubt even more you are a decent shaman." Kaiba hissed in response. Finally his opponent came into a spotlight. His ocean blue hair spiked in waves over his headband; blue was his theme of attire as he was the sea-theme Duelist, Mako Tsunami.

Momentarily, two Patch officiants arrived by their winged spirits: Kalim, Kaiba's officiant, and Stelet, Mako's officiant. They stood off in the distance and found extra eyes of the fight. "What is he doing here?" Kalim asked and Mokuba stared blankly after getting the highest seat in the stands.

"He is my little brother and I vow to protect him with everything I have from harm's way." Kaiba answered. "I couldn't leave him at Kaiba Corp. without my watchful eye." Kalim and Stelet took a brief moment to consider.

"Alright, your brother may watch the fight. If need be we will intercept any debris from the fight." Kalim nodded. "There are several minutes to prepare yourselves."

"Who needs several minutes, I'm ready now!" Kaiba acclaimed and unleashed Kisara from her pendant. She hovered above Kaiba's head in her full Dragonic form.

"I agree! I summon you Dynamene!" Mako called and a blue glimmering spirit escaped the jewel embedded in the trident. Her hair waved like the water and her eyes as crisp as the ocean's surface.

"At ease, both of you!" Kalim boasted and both shamans replied and stood down. "Your Oracle Pagers will sound alarm when the fight is about to begin."

"Hm…" Kaiba groaned, studying the water spirit that is Mako's Guardian Ghost. As did Mako, seeing that a Duel Monster could be a Spirit Ally. Mokuba watched eagerly from the stands, recalling the Shaman fight he witnessed. He figured this would be a one-sided fight also, confident that his brother would triumph with ease as always. "Tell me Mako, how did you come into the Shaman Tournament?" Kaiba asked in a demanding hiss.  
"It shouldn't come as a surprise if you know your mythology but Dynamene is no myth." Mako began, "Dynamene is a Nereid, one of fifty daughters born from Nereus and Doris. Dynamene is one of two Nereids that control the ocean swells. It was over the spring after your Battle city Tournament that I found her, or rather she found me. And what about you?"  
"Hmph." Kaiba huffed unimpressed. "I'm here for one reason only. Yugi is in this Shaman Tournament as well and I plan to defeat him in the most inhumane way possible. And with Kisara's power, my dream will finally be realized!"  
_Beep…beep…beep…_

"Thirty seconds," Kalim announced. Both shamans prepared themselves.  
Kaiba warmed himself up by cracking his knuckles. "Kisara, just like against Kalim. Mako will be an easy win." he muttered and Kisara nodded in response, letting her hindquarter talons grip the ground.  
Mako practiced his handiwork with the trident he crafted for his spirit. He showed his finesse of a staff-like weapon, demonstrating by letting the trident circle around his body while keeping it rotating in his fingers. "When I become Shaman King, no one will lose their love one at sea again, and when I become one with the King of Spirits I vow to find my father." Mako murmured in a low tone.

_Beep…beep…beep…BEEP!_

"Dynamene, Spirit form! Into the Trident!" Mako declared instantly. Dynamene shifted into a blue aura and became absorbed into the weapon, more specifically, the sapphire engraved in the trident that fed mana throughout the weapon and wielder.

"Kisara, Spirit form! Become my Armor!" Kaiba acclaimed and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon transformed. White metal clasped to Kaiba's body, right down to the wings on his back. Just as quickly, Kaiba made the charge with a clawed fist ready to nail Mako hard and fast.  
"You were always eager to make the first move, Kaiba. But I assure you I'll make the last!" Mako raised the trident over his head and slammed one end into the ground. The water in the aquarium rippled and moved at a fast current out of the tank. It encircled Mako to make a whirlpool shield and stopped Kaiba in his charge.

"What's this!" Kaiba asked in front of the waterspout.  
"This is only a small sample of Dynamene's true power." Mako smirked and raised his weapon again, swinging it forward inside the waterspout. The water responded and bent forward in Kaiba's direction; Kaiba dodged easily with a dart to the left and the waterspout fell into a crashing wave that sprinkled the stands but soaked the Patch Tribe Officiants.  
Stelet and Kalim stood for a moment with water dripping from their cloaks and feathers. "Maybe we better go into the stands with Kaiba's younger brother." Stelet suggested in a sotto after being disturbed from the tidal wave.  
"Good idea," Kalim nodded.  
Up in the stands, Mokuba was sprinkled from the water Mako threw. After the first hit, he looked down and saw dents in the middle rows of the stands and there barely was a front row. Mokuba gasped, "No way! Mako has that kind of power!" Kaiba's attention was brought to him as Mokuba scrambled to the highest row.  
He contacted Kisara. "If we dodge the attacks, damage will be done." He murmured but enough to let his armor hear what he has to say and Kaiba turned to see the damages from the first strike alone. "We have to muffle the damages, and I know one way to do it." Kaiba regained his stance and came for another charge.  
"Again?" Mako's grin spread wider and manipulated the water again, now throwing the wave straight at Kaiba without the defense first. Kaiba reacted fast and slid to the ground, talons first, and divided the water in two with one of the wings. Though the successful effort, it took a bit for Kaiba to recover, giving Mako an opportunity. Before Kaiba knew it, a whip of icy water slapped his face and knocked him to the ground.  
"Seto!" Mokuba cried. Ultimately Kalim and Stelet activated their Oracle Pagers for the shamans' status.

"Interesting, Mako spends little mana to manipulate the water." Stelet pondered. "He did say he lived by water all his life."  
"Thins aren't looking all that good for Kaiba though." Kalim doubted. "Even though he hasn't lost a single point of mana however his Ghost Power weakens within each attack Mako throws at him."  
"Seto! Get up, please!" Mokuba yelled from the stands. Kaiba snapped back and made his stance, only to find that Mako's trident has grown in power and height exponentially. The water surrounded the trident and maintained a solid form without turning into ice, and remarkably, the last attack left Mako to stand on the surface of a fifty-foot pool.

"The element of water is on my side, Seto Kaiba. The ferocity of the sea in this aquarium backs my power, led by Dynamene." Mako preached, "I will show you the power of the mighty ocean, and break your Over Soul without breaking a sweat!" It looked as Mako glided just on the surface with a sharp wake in his path. "Rip Tide Assault!"  
"You've forgotten one thing, Mako. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon has an attack that will overpower your little squirt gun." Kaiba cocked back and threw his right arm out. The Dragon's head opened its jaws and quickly charged for an electrical attack. "White Lightning!" He commanded and a white electrical burst fired to counter attack Mako's bombardment.

Mako realized the oncoming attack and had to make a quick decision of which way to dodge. The White Lightning went straight through the wakes and ended at the large plasma screen, short circuiting the large television. After the attack ended in itself, Kaiba managed to regain his balance; Kalim noticed that his Ghost Power returned to normal. Kaiba and Mokuba both shared glances around the stadium, now showing some damage to the quickly brewing battle.  
"Where did Mako go?" Kaiba muttered.  
"Seto!" Mokuba caught his attention. "Mako's under the water!" Kaiba took a look into the water. Sure enough Mako darted around twenty feet under, taunting Kaiba. Kaiba watched in a slight shock.  
"Clever." Stelet commented, "Dynamene is helping Mako survive underwater like a frog."  
"Well he's going to croak like one!" Kaiba claimed and threw a punch into the water, attempting another White Lightning attack. The water surrounding Kaiba's hand held fast like cement. _What!_ He thought in a panic right before he was pulled under.  
"No, Seto!" Mokuba screamed in terror, Kalim and Stelet were also shocked. The surface ripples ceased and the only movement was the two shamans under the water.

"Stelet, what in the world is Mako doing?" Kalim's eye twitched in the question.  
"Mako has expelled most of his mana throughout the pool. Every molecule is at his command, and he began by making the surface solid as ice without changing the water's temperature." Stelet answered while looking at his Oracle Pager for Mako's Mana Points reduced to a mere one-fifth of its full gauge. "This has become a test of endurance for Kaiba. Mako can hold his breath for almost three times longer than any normal human being." Mokuba listened to the Patch officiants in desperate disbelief.  
Underneath, Kaiba snapped to his senses that he was drawn underwater. _Just great…_ He thought in skepticism and eyes scanned for Mako. Finally he looked down and saw Mako coming from the floor at top speed of a Great White Shark with trident set to impale him.

Kaiba only wished to react as quickly as he could when he was out of the water but his timing was enough to hold the trident in between the three teeth. More so, the force drove Kaiba until he was pressed in between the surface and Mako's force, the only thing keeping him from an instant loss was his stiff elbows.

_Give it up, Kaiba. I can hold my breath longer than most normal people._ Mako spoke through aquatic telepathy.  
_Well aren't you a regular Aquaman._ Kaiba thought in sarcasm before bringing his wings behind his back and letting him slip away while Mako rammed the surface but didn't scratch it. Kaiba was beginning to feel his lungs burning from being underwater for so long. _Dangit, any longer down here and I'll drown. But I can't lose this fight, I can't DIE in this fight. Not when I have to protect Mokuba, and I can't rest until I defeat Yugi!_ Mako began to charge again with another full-forced impact. Kaiba reacted more quickly on the defense and kicked aside the trident. In reflex, Kaiba charged up for the surface, Kisara pounding her wings in the struggle. By ten feet, Kaiba charged for another White Lightning; the sparks were visible from under the hardened surface, making Kalim and Stelet stand in shock.  
"Is he insane!" Both officiants stood pale. "We'll be held responsible if he goes off and commits suicide in the middle of a fight!"  
"He's not insane, he'll just do what it takes to win!" Mokuba smirked.  
Below, Kaiba finished charging and fired a White Lightning straight to the surface, the lighting scattering throughout the pool and Mako getting damaged by the aftershock. But Kaiba focused all his mana into a single beam. Mako couldn't hold the manipulation of the water when bits of his mana were evaporating and lost his focus completely. The surface shattered and Kaiba broke free from the aquatic imprisonment, the consequence was half his mana points spent in one attack. But Kaiba had a feeling Mako spent more than he did. Both officiants stared with mouths agape and pupils the size of pinheads. Mokuba jumped in celebration, "Yes, Seto. Way to go, bro!" In a brief moment of victory, Kaiba catapulted out of the water, reclaiming his breath and watching the aquarium roar in waves just feet below the stadium support beams lining the roof.

The water began to calm, as Mako's body was still submerged. It didn't take long when the waves rose, more vicious than ever. "This is it Kaiba, I will not lose!" Mako's voice rumbled and the waves turned catastrophic. The three onlookers turned nervous as all of the aquarium water was absorbed into one massive water tower. "This is it, the full power of Dynamene and all her glory! She sees through sailors in the fiercest of storms, and she will see to my victory!" he declared atop the liquid column that beat the stadium roof in height but the roof stopped at the front row in the stands.

Kaiba winced in nervousness himself, but the unnerving came from another subject. "Mokuba! Get out of here! Now!" He commanded over the oceanic roars. Mokuba understood clearly and was ushered out by Kalim and Stelet. Once assured, Kaiba looked back at the waterspout that seemed to take some sort of form, a mythic sea serpent.

"Dynamene! Tenbatsu no Taikai – Wrath of the Water God!" Mako declared his most powerful attack and the head of the serpent began to lunge to Kaiba.

Kaiba saw what was coming and called forth the ultimate attack. He felt Kisara's energy reach its peak in power. "Kisara! Destructive Burst Stream!" He darted straight up, the White Lighting covered his body in a full-blown final assault.

Both met in an explosion so loud it exceeded the decibels of normal human hearing. Kalim, Stelet, and Mokuba ducked inside a nearby shark exhibit, but the vibrations of the explosion made all three of them shudder. "Seto!" Mokuba shrieked and tried to get up. Both Kalim and Stelet held him back.  
"Are you crazy!" Kalim asked while the vibrations sent the sharks in frenzy behind them. "I'm sure your brother pulled through. You can't doubt him now, I've seen your optimism even when he was pulled under and trapped in the water."

The struggle kept at it high above the aquarium; the constant tremors bothered the killer whale behind the stadium. And in the surrounding aquariums the sea lions and dolphins cried in agony of the deafening fight. Kaiba's Dragon head came face-to-face with Mako's trident. Thoughts ran through the both of them as what was left of their mana depleted quickly.  
_I will win this fight, for my brother's safety, and for my revenge. I will not lose in the first round!_ Kaiba's thoughts ran through him like clockwork.

_The animals… They're suffering in this battle. I can hear their cries, and I know Dynamene shares the same pain. I've carried out this battle long enough. You win, Kaiba…._ Mako admitted defeat mentally and threw off his attack to one side, letting Kaiba advance.

Kaiba's attack scathed Mako and cracked the stone Dynamene possessed. Mako released his Over Soul and entered a free-fall past Kaiba. Kaiba let up his attack but did relieve his Over Soul. He watched Mako fall semi-conscious to the water below before he went into a dive and swooped in to catch Mako by his arms, letting the two of them drift to the ground. Upon landing, Kisara broke from Over Soul and returned to the pendant. Dynamene's ominous image kneeled next to Mako with a worried expression in her blue eyes.

The vibration of the explosive battle subsided, only followed by beeping from the Patch Tribe's Oracle Pagers. Kalim and Stelet looked to their displays. "Kaiba won…with ten points of mana left." Kalim stated and Mokuba went into a victory celebration.  
"Yes! Yes! Yes! I knew my big brother would win!" Mokuba cheered ad rushed out of the exhibit. "Seto! Seto!"

Kaiba lifted his head to his brother's return and his wide smile. Kaiba replied with a rare smile of his own, thoughtful of Mokuba's safety despite the fight's aftermath. He then turned to Mako whom was reclaiming consciousness. Kalim and Stelet weren't far behind from Mokuba. Mako couldn't help but give a smile to Kaiba. "Congratulations, Kaiba." He whispered.  
Mokuba looked over, Mako's overall condition. "Mako doesn't look all right, should we take him in to see a doctor?"

"No one will be open this late at night. But our staff is 24/7." Kaiba answered while aiding Mako to his feet. "I never thought I'd get a fight like that from you." He commented.  
"Heh, you're good yourself, Kaiba. But I'll win my next two preliminaries and we'll face each other again." Mako smirked despite his condition.

"Yeah, right. As much of a challenging fight we had, there won't be any 'again.' There's only one person I'm looking forward to fight and it's Yugi." Kaiba huffed. Behind him, Mokuba held Mako's trident and Dynamene drifting not far behind. Kalim and Stelet stayed back from the group, watching them disappear into the night.

After a moment, Kalim spoke up. "Find the nearest all-night dry-cleaners?" Their soaked cloaks and the cold night settling in bothered the both of them.  
"And an open-late restaurant…as long as there's no fish." Stelet answered back as the two took the opposite direction out.


	14. Memories Loved and Feared

**Chapter 14- Memories Loved and Feared**

Much to the dismay of the media, Miranda remained hidden in the demon world she trained in. With only the quick arrival, Montoya gave Miranda her own corner of Pandemonium to train her in studies as a shaman. It was little, but enough with a small makeshift table and chair, and lights scattered in a dim glow, giving the laboratory an ominous feeling.

Miranda's sword leaned against one of the table legs and her three mortuary tablets were lined up at one corner of her study. She was fortunate to find wood strong enough to be carved into a forth mortuary tablet and worked tediously in the ash-beaten terrain Montoya, as he said, created. After two hours of precision cutting, Miranda was able to carve Tsunami's kanji into the grain of the wood with a pocketknife Montoya loaned to her.

Miranda couldn't finish it. The knife weakly went into the tablet by her hand that flashed into a pale color. Her eyes flooded quickly with tears and fell onto the tablet. She couldn't help but to bend over with her arms hiding her face and began to weep to herself on the table, the knife barely brushing up again her arm and the tablet firm in her fingers. Throughout her training with Montoya, sustaining her sanity and keeping herself alive in the time of one week, she didn't have time to think what she wanted to. Now with everything settling down, it only worked up the grief that had been held back. She had lost her aunt and uncle, Kikaita's brother whom was only a half-Zodiac, and her home just after the Battle City tournament.

What really concerned her was she lost her mother's spirit just weeks after she found it. Memories came to pass her as she tried to breathe through her tears. Nine years in the past was still as vivid as the day before if days existed in the demon realm she was forced to be secluded into. Miranda didn't realize the Death of the Zodiac was still imminent after a bulk was eliminated. But after Kikaita's disappearance, she was far beyond doubt that she would be next.

* * *

"Mommy…mommy?" A scared unfamiliar girl wandered the corridors of her home just after sundown. Her wide green eyes cowered over a plush toy in the shape of a cat as she paced carefully in the halls, slightly blinded by her unruly red bangs. She hugged her cat tightly, but it failed to give her assurance. Her legs trembled to rapidly under her and she had to collapse on her knees with the gravest of sinking feelings. She tried lean on the wall to assist herself but couldn't get the knees under her.

Since she was only three years old she was taught which Zodiacs were good to her and which were evil, but she was void of an even deeper secret the Zodiacs held since the turn of the first millennium. With the sinking feeling she felt incompatibility in the air, it was so grave she could pinpoint both Zodiacs she disagrees with inhabiting one person despite the dizziness, but she could not sense who and where.

"Mommy!" She wailed loudly while clutching her pounding heart and fell into a chill, still on her hands and knees against the wall. Soon she heard two sets of footsteps rushing towards her, one of them her mother's.

"Miranda, what are you doing awake?" Kikaita kneeled in front of her, worried brown eyes flashed just under her dark hair with one red streak pulled back in her ponytail. The one accompanying Kikaita was an elderly woman with a serious look, but concerned for the child's condition.

"Miranda must be sensing her double polar." She said in a rickety voice. Kikaita looked to her while taking Miranda into her arms and wrapped her tightly in her while kimono. "Kikaita, something is definitely not right. A Zodiac can only fall into this condition if a person possessing the opposite of both Zodiacs is nearby."

"Astrea, this has never happened before; and no one was due for a Virgo tonight in the Year of the Monkey." Kikaita panicked. "Who could have brought this upon Miranda?" She clung tightly to her fading daughter.

"I am not sure Kikaita, perhaps she has the innate sense to trace out even the slightest abnormalities of corrupted Zodiacs." Astrea said, "but now Miranda needs bed rest, she should not be up if she is in this condition. Tomorrow we will seek out any Virgo. It just might be since she is so young she hasn't been used to sensing the Zodiacs in other people. A signal so light to us might be too strong for her."  
Kikaita hesitated before making a reply. "If it was a sign of Earth I'd be able to sense it. She was fine when I tucked her in ten minutes ago, this cannot be what brought her like this." Kikaita held Miranda tightly and stepped up, began to take her back to her bedroom. Miranda breathed weakly, even when she was taken away from where she began to feel her polar and collapsed. Astrea picked up the stuffed toy and followed Kikaita back to the bedrooms. In a dimly lit room, Kikaita returned her daughter to bed. Miranda still held an exhausted breath but tried to calm down as the blanket was pulled over her. Kikaita gave her a kiss on her forehead and turned to Astrea who just gave Miranda her plush toy.

They both left the room and Miranda still felt uncomfortable, she clutched her toy tightly, again failing for reassurance. She still had an ill feeling that made her stomach toss and turn like she did in bed. Long silent minutes passed. Then metal clashes outside briefly before the noise died again. Miranda couldn't wait until sunrise and jumped out of bed again, running down the wood floors in her bare feet. Again she felt the same feeling as before, but it became stronger. Her knees buckled under her and her voice was locked in her throat, she couldn't cry out. Miranda began to crawl to the living room; as quickly as it set on, Miranda was soon relieved of the mental stress but came to a new fear. She supported herself against the wall and kept moving forward.

She turned the final corner and she went sheet white and fell into a cold sweat. Red covered the walls and floor, red splashes of blood. Her eyes slowly tried to take in what happened in a matter of seconds. A crater that was once a window had a trail of blood that was outside for about five feet, and on the floor facing the window was the bloody corpse of Astrea.

Miranda lost her fear briefly to enter the room and fall to her knees next to a family friend. "Great Aunt Astrea!" she cried out beside her. Astrea groaned with her heart in a shallow beating and her soul still clinging to her body for only a few more seconds.  
"Child…" Astrea gagged on the blood in her throat. "There is something you must know. I was waiting until you were older, but I think you need to know this now." She raised a weak finger to a nearby table that seemed barely untouched from what happened before she came into the room. "Take that book, and flee this place. Go to your father in America, Miranda, and keep that book with you." Astrea instructed before her final collapse in the puddle of her own blood.

"Great Aunt Astrea, where's Mommy?" Miranda begged while nudging Astrea. "Where is Mommy!"

* * *

Miranda could still feel the warm blood on her hands and knees from that night when the grim memories came to her. But she did what Astrea told her, and took the Book of the Zodiacs. Her uncle, who was half-Zodiac, helped her understand what happened to Astrea that night but did not answer why Kikaita was gone. Now her suspicions have changed before her fight against Montoya. The wraith took her mother's soul as well as her ancestors, and it tried to come after her. One last cold sweat fell to her uncle and aunt who took care of her after her father's murder. The house was reduced to ashes, according to Montoya, and he couldn't find the Book of the Zodiacs. Nothing looked like it was removed either so it must have had burned down with the house unless it was taken before the fire. Miranda finally found strength to raise her head slightly, her arms soaked from her crying.

Unknowing to her, Montoya watched her cry from his desk in Pandemonium. He couldn't guess what brought upon the sudden spell of tears, but he had his own to worry about. Even while his Oracle Pager was sitting blank and inactive on his desk, the name on it was clear as crystal and tried in torment to think that he read the name wrong. He couldn't convince himself, with the Oracle Pager with a blank screen he thought he could relax to think he had it wrong but the anxiety overwhelmed even him.

_Of all shaman, why does it have to be him? We both hoped we didn't have to face each other._ Montoya thought in a panic to himself, _Damn the Great Spirit…and yet…_ He looked up to Miranda who just lifted her head from her arms. Montoya returned glance at his Oracle Pager sitting at the corner of his desk, the name of his next opponent haunted him from the depths of his past.

He tried to send his gaze elsewhere in the room. Montoya looked back on Miranda who seemed to have settled down enough to keep working on her mortuary tablet. After a moment, Miranda finished the tablet but slipped the blade inside her hand. She watched as a thin line of blood seeped from the crease in her right hand and held tightly in a fist. In another attempt to distract himself, Montoya rose from his desk and began to come across the lab towards Miranda. One hand slipped on her shoulder and made her jump but relax quickly to where tears just sat in her eyes. "M-Montoya?" She asked, slightly disturbed when a finger traced her face to catch a tear.  
"You've been crying…." He said gently. "Would you like to talk about it?"

* * *

Reclined on his throne, the mana giant waited in darkness; hanging behind him was his latest kill from nearly a decade. His armrests have taken a beating from his infuriation to learn that one more exists. _The last one that eluded me for years will meet an end at the coming of the true Shaman Fight._ He thought with the torches flickering in a scattered pattern. His breath was deep, a lowly growl that could make any rational person run cold blood. Settled next to him was the wraith, still glowing with renewed energies of the ancient Zodiacs. _Just two souls can produce so much power alone. They can't be from this era… _He pondered.

Intruding on his thoughts, the body in the mirror behind him disappeared and was replace with a broad silhouette, the only visible part was an unfriendly locked smile belonging to the bottom half of a decrypted face. "What do have for me Kravegh?" The mana giant asked.  
"My Master, the shaman we've recruited won his first match excellently." The servant called by Kravegh reported. "And his next opponent is the Zodiac outside the city next week." The giant's smile cracked into a grave grin.

"It's time to see just how powerful this Zodiac is, and our 'apprentice' suspects nothing?" He asked.  
"He does not know of us."  
"And he will not, Kravegh, he is vital to our plans of the Zodiac's demise." The mana giant said grimly. "The fight must be made to the fullest potential, we need to know exactly how much power Yin-Yang has granted her. I don't care if we destroy him in the process, we need to know the Zodiac's peak of power before we progress further and I finally end their existence on this planet once and for all." Splinters entered the giant's left hand while he decreed the motives. It didn't affect him at all as the skin punctures vanished under his fingers. His eyes narrowed and he withdrew back into his thoughts of the past, a strong concentration that seemed unbroken.  
"Do you have any further orders, Master?" Kravegh asked after a moment of silence.  
"Keep him training and add on to his Over Soul once the fight begins next week." The mana giant answered. Kravegh's black image disappeared and the mirror restored its eternal picture of the Zodiac's death.

* * *

In the middle of Domino Park, a certain English puppeteer stalked down the path in a fury, harshly kicking at a large wooden trunk. The trunk's contents rattled with each swing of its owner's foot.  
"Damn you, Yugi Motou!" Gideon hissed. "Damn you for defeating me! And thrice-damn you for injuring Aegis with your little fuzzball army!"

After a moment, he sighed, and then settled himself on top of the trunk, looking up into the sky. Even weeks later, the pain of losing his first match in the Shaman Fight prelims stung at his heart. A pair of spectral hands rose from within the trunk, and Antoni climbed up the side of Gideon's jacket, both hands resting on the man's collarbone.

And then a flurry of feathers blinded Gideon, and he raised one arm to ward off an immense, glowing light that threatened to blind him.  
The light faded, and the most beautiful woman he had ever seen was standing next to him. Her hair danced around her face in a lovely fashion, and she had the deepest blue eyes he'd ever seen in his life. She wore a brilliant white dress, and from her back extended gigantic, angelic wings.

But something didn't seem right to the puppeteer. He could swear that mana was coursing along her back... But when the woman spoke, her soft, velvety voice washed such matters out of his mind.

"Gideon Balandine, you seem so troubled," she said. "I am Gloria, and my master has sent me to aid you in this time of need."  
Swallowing hard, Gideon asked, "By your master, do you mean..."

Gloria nodded, and from under one wing she took a book, holding it out to him. "Written in this book is an ancient ritual, one that will grant you enough power to defeat any opponent. However, should you perform it, my master will someday come before you. You must do as he commands."

Without any further thought, Gideon slid off the trunk, kneeling before Gloria and taking the book from her. "Thank you, Gloria," he said, his voice trembling with emotion. "You bless me with this gift. I shall use it wisely." And tucking the book under one arm, he picked up the trunk by a handle and set off at a run towards his apartment.

From behind a tree, once Gideon was out of earshot, Harlan slid into view, walking up to Gloria. "You and that angel act of yours is getting on my nerves," he said.

The woman's expression turned dark and her wings exploded in a cloud of feathers as a small angelic figure appeared on her shoulder. "Put a sock in it, Leanwick."

"Well," the singer commented as he watched Gideon running in the distance, "don't you think he'll get suspicious when he reads the book and has to start calling on devils?"

"If it gets him in the master's debt, do you think I care?" She snorted, and then ran one hand through her hair. "This world's going to pot if even shamans are that gullible."

* * *

Inside the living room of his home, Yugi reviewed his deck after his first victory by a pinch. Yami came to view across from him as the cards were scattered about on the table. "Yugi, I've been thinking about our match against Gideon."

"And I think I know what you're going to say, Yami." Yugi continued from where Yami left off. "We can't rely on luck of the draw. I mean I had to search my deck for Kuriboh and Multiply just to get Aegis off you. Maybe we have to go about this Shaman Tournament in a different way if we're using the Duel Disk as a focus…" Yugi pulled the best cards from his deck, tripping into Slifer the Sky Dragon. Instantly he recalled where the other two God Cards went to hope that they wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. Obelisk the Tormentor went to Kaiba, he seemed content enough to have it.

And The Winged Dragon of Ra was delivered to his friend Miranda who went missing after a house explosion. The most powerful of God Monsters went to her because Mirandragon and Tsunami begged of it. Yami willingly accepted to let Miranda be the third guardian of the Egyptian God Monsters. "I sure hope Miranda's all right…" He prayed.

"I'm sure she is, knowing Marik's dark side." Yami justified, getting Yugi to look at him. "Now that Miranda has the most powerful God Monster and the one whom would abuse its power, she has a lot of burden on her shoulders. Marik's dark side now resides as a spirit and just like me he'll need a compatible host. Only through the host can he tap into the God Card if the host allows it, and Miranda is a strong-willed girl." He explained while remembering the Battle City tournament.

Yugi took a deep thought of it, "But still, how can Miranda put herself through this? Why would she?"

"Right now we must focus on the Shaman Tournament, a greater evil exists and it cannot be crowned the King of Shamans." Yami changed to the focus of the matter. "We'll need to study our opponent this time so we can reduce the card count options. It appeared just sacrificing monsters itself reduced your mana faster than just summoning them like we did in training."

"Yeah…" Yugi sighed and removed his Chimera assembly from the deck. "The Dark Magician seemed to help us a lot. Maybe we can make options around him for our next opponent."

"We don't know just who our next opponent will be." Yami reminded, soon the Oracle Pager sounded off.

* * *

After a bid farewell from Mako, Kaiba found it that he could relax and resume his work of his company. He had a taste of what's to come, especially from a nature spirit like Dynamene the Nereid. Kaiba's eyes bounced between his laptop and his Oracle Pager, eager for his next opponent. A moment from his sights on the company, Kaiba began searching for information about the Shaman Tournament, and all attempts failed. "This big of a tournament and there's nothing of it in any database global? Sonova…" Kaiba cursed under his breath and picked up his white Oracle Pager. It only seemed like an electrical device with no other functions except remote announcements.

All the while Mokuba has been watching the news, nothing has appeared of the shaman fights. "The Patch Tribe really knows how to conceal a fight. The news says that the orca that you were fighting near in the aquarium got spooked somehow and destroyed the stands with the waves." He commented.

Another scan found a tag underneath the leather that held the pager to it. _Official Patch Tribe Oracle Pager, copyright to Patch Tribe Shaman Commission, promotion of the bi-millennial Shaman Tournament. To prevent personal injury or tournament disqualification, please do not disassemble, dispose, or destroy the Oracle Pager. Also, we advise you not to illegally hack into the Oracle Pager, as there is a numbered keypad for your needs. If you would like to know how to change your ringtone, check your e-mail, and check other shaman status and list, please see your officiant for the codes. To see to your Patch Tribe officiant, punch in your officiant's name by key code and wait, your officiant will be with you in one hour or less. We hope you have fun participating in the Shaman Tournament, a chance in a several hundred lifetimes._

"Oh these guys must think they are so hilarious." Kaiba grumbled at the warning label but luck changed when he found his keypad. "On a side note, the default ringtone annoys the heck out of me." He tapped in the five numbers to Kalim's name and set the Pager aside. Now he fidgeted with the pendant that his spirit resided in, pondering how a solitary card could pull off such power; then again it was no surprise as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is one of the rarest and most powerful monsters. "I wonder…" Kaiba rose from his desk and began to head out the door, Mokuba caught him from the corner of his eye.

"Bro, where are you going?" He asked.

"I'm going to train for my next opponent, let me know when my Pager goes off." Kaiba replied and the elevator slid shut behind him. Going to the bottom floor, Kaiba pulled cards from his Duel Disk, the other two Blue-Eyes White Dragons. _It takes one Blue-Eyes White Dragon to bring anyone down, two on rare occasions. But it will take three to bring down Yugi Motou; moreover the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon will crush him. In this tournament, the monsters are real._ Kaiba thought as the elevator landed on the bottom floor to where one of his suits awaited him.

"Good afternoon Mr. Kaiba." Roland greeted formally.

"Roland, set up my test area. I'll be there in a few minutes." Kaiba commanded and walked off without turning back. Roland nodded and headed off in a different direction. _I don't know when I'll be facing Yugi in the Shaman Tournament, so I have to uncover the next level of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons and master it. And the next level is that of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon._ He thought and entered a wide metal room, the same room of which he disabled the Duel Computer when he tested Obelisk the Tormentor.

On the observation decks, Mokuba found his position at the computer system and equipped his headphone, Kaiba's Oracle Pager in his hand. "Are you sure about this bro? Training inside Kaiba Corp?" He asked out of precaution.

"We'll see how the computers react with just one Blue-Eyes White Dragon to start. If we're still safe with the Dragon's electrical attribute, we'll go ahead with the Ultimate Dragon." Kaiba answered and fell into a deep concentration. The technicians were baffled by the immediate entry into the training area.

"What is Mr. Kaiba doing?" One of them asked Mokuba.

"It's kinda hard to explain, but Seto is training for this Shaman Tournament and he's using the Blue-Eyes White Dragon as his partner." Mokuba answered the best he could and they all watched Kaiba carefully. He let the pendant fall from his fingers until the chain had full length and it swung the crystal gently, soon the aura took hold and the computers sensed some activity but nothing more.

"Kisara, Spirit Form! Become my armor!" Kaiba declared and the pendant flashed, white ribbons of light looped around Kaiba and assembled the armor in coordination, the only change was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon head tucked down and merged into the chest plate of his armor. "Mokuba, computer status!" he commanded.

"You're looking good, Seto. You can pull off Ultimate Dragon no problem." Mokuba answered. Kaiba returned focus and reviewed his other two Blue-Eyes White Dragons once more. The computers' scanners gradually escalated but kept at a safe level.

Briefly distracted from concentration, Kaiba looked back on Battle City. His determination blinded him from victory over Yugi; he lost it when he clearly had victory. The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon faced off against the Dark Paladin. In sheer power, the Ultimate Dragon overwhelmed the Paladin instantly "No tricks, Yugi. This time your magic and trap cards won't save you." Kaiba grumbled and quickly returned focus, "Fusion! Become my armor, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Both cards flared up in his hands and more streams of light circled Kaiba, forming stronger armor with more coverage and mobility.

The computers sparked after charts reached the maximum power in the scanners, even Mokuba had to duck behind one of the technicians. The light faded and it was finally safe to look over and through the shattered glass down to Kaiba. Them metal in the room went into a flash heat but no other damage was done to Kaiba's new level of Over Soul. Massive wings overruled the shoulders and white metal plates worked down to his talon armor replacing his feet. On each arm was one of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's heads with the third on his chest. Deep breathing helped to recover from the surge to the next step, but a smile broke through. "Yugi, in this Tournament, I _will_ take you down." He hissed.

The Oracle Pager rang and the wings lifted Kaiba off the ground towards the observation deck. Mokuba answered the page, "Uh, Kalim's at the front door…and you have your second match notice in two weeks."

* * *

The room was darkened, several candles were lit, and a pentagram was drawn in goat's blood on the floor. Next to it, Gideon stood on the outside, seriously beginning to question the nature of this ritual; he had stripped to his boxer shorts. On the bed behind him sat several yards of surgical tubing, a hacksaw, and a syringe of local anesthetic.

Setting the book on the bed, Gideon picked up the syringe of anesthetic. "Here goes nothing," he muttered as he injected it into the top of his left leg. After a moment, it had gone numb, and he wrapped the surgical tubing around it, tying it very tight. He then picked up the book and the hacksaw.

"'The gate of the power is sealed by many guardians. The gate I do seek to open is guarded by Sircisian, that with the ravenous appetite and the many eyes. To appease it, the thing that is its guardian...'"

One eye shut, and Gideon set the saw just below his hip, his leg quivering.

"...to it do I offer my left leg."

Even with the anesthetic and the tubing, he still screamed his throat raw.


	15. Miranda vs Raquiez: Anything Goes

**Chapter 15- Miranda vs Raquiez: Anything Goes**

Miranda's Oracle Pager rang out in reminder to her fight against the opponent named Raquiez while she studied at her desk. She set aside her studies of what little Zodiac information she had left, she knew she couldn't find the book in the ruins that was once her home. Miranda stood up from her desk in Pandemonium and strapped the Oracle Pager around her left arm with Yami Marik's mortuary tablet next to it. She took off Tsunami's necklace from over her head and rested it along the three other tablets, void of spirits, then equipped her sword to her left hip.

Rai slept peacefully but Miranda's sudden shift broke her slumber. _Miranda?_

"My next match is in three hours. I've gotta leave now if I'm going to make it to my second match." Miranda said while trying not to disturb Montoya on her exit. In his corner, he was deep in his own studies, only his eyes shifted briefly when she stood up and immediately went back to work.

_I can't help but worry about Montoya and Yaril, and neither of them will tell me what has them in a knot._ Rai looked back at him.

"Then you stay here and keep them in company. I have to go to my second round." Miranda repeated. "I'll be alright and I will come back." With that she didn't look back behind her when she left with the door closing behind her. Rai took a look back on Montoya, never leaving his eyes from his book.

"Miranda's mana has increased more than two-fold, she'll be more worth of a challenge this time around." Montoya stated before Rai could hope for a second opinion. "And don't try to go after her, she needs to do this on her own with her guardian ghost." His stern voice made Rai lie back down on the floor, already impatient to Miranda's return.

* * *

In the forests north of Domino, Kevin warmed up on his Buster Sword. Already he has sliced down several trees in clean sweeps, sometimes two or more in one swing. Buster Blader just made Kevin all the more powerful inside his prized sword. Raquiez seated himself on one of the stumps Kevin created in his training, sensing inside Kevin an ember of resentment behind his shades and mask. "Miranda is confident of victory this day, Hunter." Raquiez hissed.

Kevin stopped his warm-up and turned to him, Buster Blader escaping Over Soul and reverted to a faint image. "Pardon?" Kevin asked.

"Miranda is coming, and she has confidence that she will overpower you. After all, it was she, Yoh, and Montoya that have ridiculed you as a shaman, didn't they? And Miranda is a friend…" Raquiez explained, invoking Kevin.

"She _was_ a friend. She's just as new to this shaman business as I am." Kevin stormed and spiked the blade into the ground. "Tonight I'll show her she's as much of a rookie as I am…wait, that didn't come out right." Kevin winced to a mistake, giving Raquiez rights to chuckle.

"So Miranda will be your second victory, I certainly hope so. In her disappearance she must have trained strenuously. Otherwise her name wouldn't have showed up on the Oracle Pager." Raquiez said casually.

"Well she's going to be for insulting me. She'll know once and for all I can compete in the Shaman Tournament." Kevin growled.

"Save it for the fighting, there's only two minutes left before the fight begins." Raquiez tried to put Kevin at ease when he heard rustling in the far end of the clearing. "Ah, here's your opponent now."

Miranda tore herself from the thick forestry and pulled the briers from her cloak. "If I knew north of Domino was an uncharted forest, I'd skip the cloak no matter how chilly it is." She grumbled. Yami Marik produced his image by Miranda with an eye-wide glance to the opposite end.

"Uh, Miranda…" He tried to get his host's attention. Miranda looked up after pulling plant bulbs from her clothes and stood mouth agape. Kevin and Buster Blader stared the both of them down in anger while Miranda and Yami Marik shook off their shock.

"Kevin, what are you doing here! I'm supposed to be facing some guy named Raquiez!" Miranda hollered.

"He's Raquiez but I'm his substitute for the duration of the Shaman Tournament." Kevin answered back. Miranda turned to shock again and her mind went ablaze in thought. "And I have to thank Raquiez for this opportunity to prove you wrong, I can be part of the Shaman Tournament!" He acclaimed.

_Kevin has yet to realize the Shaman Tournament is even more dangerous than the Battle City Tournament, and I ought to know. My first match with Montoya was way out of my league, it was miracle he considered training me afterwards._ Miranda panicked in her thoughts._ But what can I do? And where are the Patch Tribe Officiants? Why isn't any of them here! The fight is going to begin any second!_

_Beep…beep…beep…BEEP!_

Before Miranda could recollect her senses at the fight's start, Kevin already charged at her like a one-man stampede in a blind fury; Buster Blader had already achieved Over Soul within his broadsword and burned with a dark violet flame. Miranda only saw Kevin fast enough to sidestep from his cross slash but stumbled backwards and hit the ground. She rolled back to her feet just in time to a void a vertical strike and posed herself to Over Soul. Kevin followed through the attack with an upward strike and finally connected Miranda, sending her spiraling ten feet across the clearing before sliding on the ground again. "Miranda! What are you doing! We have to fight back!" Yami Marik roared over Miranda's shoulder as a spirit flame.

"We've already ran into a problem…" Miranda gasped for air after being knocked off, "Without any Patch Officiants, this has ultimately become a free-for-all." She staggered back to stand only to see Kevin blow her back another fifteen feet and still coming.

"So what are you waiting for! Take advantage of this no-holds bar melee before I do!" Yami Marik became infuriated. Miranda again lifted a hand for Over Soul and once more, stopped by Kevin's wrath with the Buster Sword. She waited to be knocked into the air momentarily and looked up, a black cross of shadow stood between her and death. "Only a few seconds here!"

"Few seconds is all I need. Yami Marik, spirit form! Into the Sword!" She declared and threw his black spirit flame along the sword's edge, setting her sword ablaze. The cross of the Shadow Realm vanished and Kevin was free to proceed but missed; Miranda was already evading Kevin and flipped overhead of him to land behind him. Kevin wasn't too far behind in Miranda's advancing moves; he turned his blade into full swing behind him. Miranda reacted quickly and used his broadsword almost like a springboard and sent herself to a safe distance, ready to fight for once, but couldn't bring herself to it.

"MIRANDA!" Yami Marik cried in an ear-splitting tone and the sword he possessed nearly jumped out of her hand. "You're in Over Soul now! Fight back!" Miranda tried to go with her ally's advice but had to keep evading from Kevin's boundless rage. Through her dodging, she tried to talk to Kevin. She tried to think of what to say while avoid Kevin's boundless but extremely accurate attacks.

"Kevin, listen to me!" She cried and ducked from a horizontal slash. "We can't fight like this! We don't have the Patch Officiants to authorize it!"

"Who needs them when I can prove to you I can be a part of this Shaman Tournament without their rules?" Kevin hollered back and continued to send strikes in a fury, each strike coming closer to taking a chunk out of Miranda than the last.

"That's the problem, Kevin. We have no supervision from the Patch Officiants." Said Miranda and she fell back from another slash too high to evade with a jump. Her force of the duck and the aftershock of the Buster Sword knocked her off her feet again. Like the fluent trail of dominoes, Kevin led one slash to another, sending a low horizontal strike Miranda's way. She rolled with it to minimize damage, her physical strength fading fast from dodging. "Kevin, please hear me out." She pleaded. "What I said in the museum…it was for your own safety. When we met Yoh at the museum and Buster Blader attacked us…that was only a taste of what's yet to come in the Shaman Tournament. People can get _killed_ in this tournament, people like you don't have a chance at this sort of thing."

"By this fight so far, it's you that doesn't have a chance at this sort of thing." Kevin corrected and launched another series of slashes just brushing by her skin. "And another thing, Buster Blader is my guardian ghost if you haven't noticed. I'm about to prove to you that even this Dragon slayer can become an ally."

"Kevin, why are you allied with a Dragon Slayer! He was the one that destroyed your deck!" Miranda demanded the answer to that one.

"He and I made a bargain. I bring him into this Shaman Tournament to exact his revenge on Yin-Yang the Eternal Dragon, and he helps me prove to you that I can be in the tournament." Kevin admitted the deal he made before. It infuriated Miranda in a rage of inner focus.

"That I WILL NOT ALLOW, Hunter!" She roared and started to begin her self-defense. All the while, Raquiez watched at a safe distance. Behind the mask there was no telling if he was satisfied of Kevin's progress as a shaman or disappointment of Miranda as a Zodiac. After a few extreme minutes of avoiding Kevin, Miranda finally pushed herself back far enough to get her breath back. She spiked her sword into the ground and held on to it for support. She forced the option of fighting back to be the last on her mind but she can't evade the attacks all the time and hope to exhaust Kevin's mana before she did.

Kevin quickly caught his own breath and rushed towards her again. "Come on, fight back! If you say I don't belong in this tournament, why don't you give me a reason!" He cried and came after her with another succession still coming just as fast as before. Miranda only brought herself to take the impacts but with her blocks and push them away, her eyes constantly on the Buster Sword chasing her. One block failed and Kevin slammed into her sword on the hilt, sending her to a tree from the middle of the clearing. Miranda hit her back hard but was able to keep her wind and a moment to stagger back to her feet.

"Miranda, fight back!" Yami Marik commanded of his shaman through the Over Soul still maintained.

Again Miranda fell into a deep conscience of herself. Time seemed to freeze before her eyes, enough for her to recollect her scattering thoughts. A new disturbance entered her senses, a deeper darkness to the aura already taking over Kevin. It rekindled her childhood; memories of that night possessed her again. She froze. Even her heartbeat felt like it stopped in that instant. Miranda fell to her knees in fear and broke down into a cold sweat. She leaned back against the tree from mental exhaustion. Her mind still raced when her heart didn't.

_I can't do it, Kevin is too new at this to risk it. I can't attack him, I know I'll severely wound him. Montoya's training was extreme and I know my mana has increased threefold at best to what I was in the first round._ Miranda's thoughts flooded her. _What am I supposed to do? This might actually be an official match and the Patch are watching in hiding. I can't surrender, that will be my second loss and I'll be knocked out of the tournament before it even begins._

"Hey Pisces! You wanna be fish fillets now!" Yami Marik snapped Miranda out of it just as Kevin fired a mana blade at a distance from a swipe of his Buster Sword. Miranda could only sidestep to the right but still got hit by the attack. Her shriek echoed into the darkness when a charging mana blade went through the leather straps on her Oracle Pager and sliced her forearm open from elbow to wrist. She dropped her sword and to her knees, holding the wound tightly before she lost majority of blood; her Pager, Tablet, and God Card scattered on the ground next to her.

Successful to subdue his opponent, Kevin earned himself a breather and hung the Buster Sword over his shoulder. He watched Miranda tear a strip of fabric from her cloak and knotted it over her wound. The cloth only covered half but it covered the half that would deal the more blood, Kevin hit his mark on an artery that began inside the elbow and traveled down to the wrist. Buster Blader's Over Soul was still active but relaxed with a comment of his pastime. "The Zodiacs have the same weakness as the Dragons they harmonized with. The left arm artery is the closest to the heart and by hitting them there; they only have a forty percent chance that they don't bleed to death by the heart pumping blood back into their bodies." He explained.

Miranda had one end of the fabric in her teeth and the right hand taking the other end, Yami Marik was still in the sword. She jerked to tighten the knot and flexed her fingers, a sigh of relief escaped her – she could still feel her left hand. A thin trickle of blood began to seep through the cut uncovered, even a little was enough to one Over Soul.

"She's dead!" Buster Blader made his battle cry. Both Yami Marik and Miranda looked up to see Kevin's mana jump to new unexpected heights. The violet flames exploded and took shape, his opponents could only watch in paralyzed shock when the flames began to peel away for a more horrific Over Soul. Buster Blader's armored form became of the flame's eruption, incorporated to a large-scale model of his actual size. The flames were extinguished and Buster Blader had himself ten times the size of a normal human, but only had a complete form from his shoulders up with arms, and a Buster Sword on the same scale as he. Kevin was perched on his right shoulder and held the Buster Sword in the same posture as if playing Follow the Leader.

Miranda still watched from below with her hand clutched over the uncovered wound, her legs were frozen even with Yami Marik urging her to move for her life.

* * *

Rai perked her ears, still lying in wait for Miranda's return but she felt a change in her electromagnetic field. She pawed the door, getting Montoya's attention once more, and getting a more negative response every time. Montoya looked up from his studies, glaring daggers at the fox-demon. "Wvnnzf Rai…" He cursed.

_I sensed Miranda's in real danger._ Rai concerned, _I have to help her._

"No you do not 'have' to." Montoya restated, "Miranda's perfectly capable of handling the second fight herself. Besides, she was in plenty danger with me in the first match, and you didn't need to step in. You don't need to step in for her now. Do you want her disqualified?" Each of his sentences hit Rai dead-on like darts on a bull's eye. Rai got back on all four paws and lied down next to the door, her eyes constantly shifting between Montoya and the three mortuary tablets on Miranda's desk.

_Mistress Tsunami…what do I do now? What do I do?_ Rai thought and curled up to act like she could sleep, trying hard not to trace another drastic change in the electromagnetic fields to disturb her. _You asked e to protect her but…_

_

* * *

_

Finally after taking all the image of Buster Blader's new form in, Miranda's legs could shift. But even just one frame of movement sent the giant Buster Sword in her direction. She gathered up her belongings and ran for it just before the sword crashed down upon the earth behind her and sent helplessly her into the air again. Her senses were struck with the dark aura again. _Why does Kevin have this mana for Over Soul? I mean I know Buster Blader had been an enemy to the Zodiacs but I never thought his soul to feel so much malice… _Miranda thought while letting herself go into a free fall. _…I must fight back, but without hurting Kevin. Now that Buster Blader has become a form in this world, attacking him will be easier. It's time I finish what Yin-Yang started. _Miranda aligned herself in the air to begin her counterstrike.

Another strike from the giant Buster Sword smacked her down like being hit by a fly swatter. Her body crashed into the ground and her sword with Yami Marik fell into the smoke after her. He failed to keep his end of the Over Soul and flickered like a candle when he disappeared into the clouds of dust.

Kevin watched the smoke of his opponent's final smack down rise from the crater. He smirked widely, "That was your second loss, your Over Soul is gone." He commented in victory. Raquiez had his head tilted before looking up to the shaman and his giant spirit Over Soul.

"The fight is not yet over! The girl switched Over Soul from her sword!" He yelled to his apprentice. Kevin looked back with a gaze that seemed almost unfazed.

"She can't rise after a hit like that, there's just no way!" Kevin hollered from Buster Blader's shoulder. Something caught from the corner of his eye as he felt activity below him. "NO!" He yelled and held the Buster Sword as if he was going to send it straight through the earth. Buster Blader went into the same stance just as four triangles formed a twelve-point star, the signs of the Zodiac. Buster Blader sent his sword down, but was stopped by the star below him. "Raquiez…when you said she switched Over Souls…do you know what she switched _to_?" Kevin asked. Off-guard, Buster Blader was thrown back and lost his giant spirit form, but rebuilt himself upon the Buster Sword.

Inside the smoke, Miranda lost all conscience to what happened to her. Yami Marik was still barely hanging on to his Over Soul while watching a new energy possess Miranda's mortal shell. Her eyes were painted over yellow and her red streaks seemed to grow until it was her dominant hair color. _Miranda?_ He thought when he knew instantly it wasn't her. The possessor clutched the sword with her hand and raised it high in the dust. She began to chant a prayer; little of it could he understand and less of it could he tell of whom was chanting it.

"A um ev kxo Zodiac." She began her prayer, "A um edo kxak naoctj 0eih jkhodwkx ed kxo mehkuc fcudo. Den A rojoosx 0ei, Yin-Yang kxo Eternal Dragon, fcoujo codt mo acc 0eih fenod roknood m0 ucc0 udt m0jocv. A ujb ev oeih Yin udt Yang. Sirius, kxo Winged Dragon ev kxo Sky Above, udt Ha Des, kxo Armored Dragon ev kxo Earth Below, A ujb 0ei ro m0 jneht udt jxaoct udt ulodwo 0eih vuccod rhokxhod!"

Raquiez stepped forward, shaken by the explosion of mana from the underdog Zodiac. "No, she didn't switch Over Souls, but she _added_ on to it! Unbelievable!" He said from under the mask in amazement. Before he proceeded further, a silver beam of light blasted from the smoke, briefly upholding the form of a serpentine Dragon and twisted in every direction like a roller coaster. The star followed its head and began to separate it into two uneven six-point stars, each with its own trail of light. The red and green triangles, representing the Zodiac's Fire and Earth, had inside it a black Dragon made of shadow and it zipped through the skies before diving into the smoke. The dark blue and light blue triangle, representing the Zodiac's Water and Wind, had a white Dragon of light that darted into the smoke after the black.

Raquiez still watched, his voice expressed the fact he was dumbfounded in the new action of the fight. "Her Over Soul grew into her bloodline, she's using her history as a Zodiac for power! You have to strike her now before the second Over Soul completes itself!" The smoke was blown away from inside the crater and a figure levitated.

Miranda's body was blessed with new wings recreated from the God Card. A large silver shield shaped as a Dragon's claw embraced her left arm. Yami Marik was empowered with renewed Over Soul strength. The sword he possessed became infused with enough power to make it stronger. He now was part of the Zodiac Over Soul inside the blackened blade burning in the spiritual fires.

"You say you want revenge, Buster Blader?" The voices echoed from Miranda and Yami Marik. "It is us that want revenge as the Guardians of the Zodiac Afterlife. Our Overlord, Yin-Yang the Eternal Dragon, appeases that we take you down and if it takes the aid of another God to do it, then so be it!" The wings, sword and shield flashed in flames. The fires contributed to form one final attack as a gigantic winged serpent of three flames.

Kevin rebuilt his Over Soul to Giant Buster Blader to try and match the Dragons' setup of Over Soul. He brought his sword down first, "Dragon Slayer's Wrath!"

The flames Dragon charge forth in a sky attack, "Vengeance of the Zodiacs!"

The hit was catastrophic, in the dead of night the city was lit up in the explosion that was a shaman fight. The result of the collision of powers caught everyone's eye.

* * *

The light gleamed through the windows of Scorpion Apartments and blinded two muscular men crashed out on the floor in boxer shorts. Their room messed up and moist with sweat. Both of them cringed when the beams hit their eyes and had to wake up. One wrung out his long black hair heavy in sweat and salt. "Noon already?" He yawned, shielding his eyes from the light.

"Too bright for noon, Silva." His roommate said while using his headband to keep his wavy hair from pasting onto his back and reading the battery-powered clock on the wall, "And it's not even noon at that, it's almost midnight." Silva's eyes shot wide and he looked up while the light was still shining.

"You can't be serious, Kalim." Silva gasped. "What kind of power could make an explosion light shine this brightly at midnight?"

_-You two are as clueless as ever.-_ A voice called from their television set, hooked up by Silva's Oracle Pager. -_That explosion you see is coming from a collision between two powerful mana sources!- _Both Silva and Kalim turned to see the screen fill with TV static before an elderly face appeared, familiar to the two Patch tribesmen.

"Chief Goldva!" they called his name.

"Chief Goldva, you know what is going on?" Kalim asked while they seated themselves in front of the TV screen.

"A collision between two powerful mana sources? You don't mean to say that there is a fight going on in Domino tonight?" Silva squatted to the floor. Goldva nodded, apparently able to hear them like a video-phone.

_-An_ unauthorized_ fight.- _Goldva reinstated._ I-f it were supervised, that explosion would not have come into effect. You two are the closest to the site of the fight. You must minimize the damage and find out which shamans were involved._ He listed the commands. _I would like to see these troublesome shamans personally. Subdue and bring them to me for their further participation in the Shaman Tournament. Their fight must not go on any longer.-_ Silva and Kalim gasped again.

"Is it that serious, Chief Goldva? We have to bring down the shamans involved?" Kalim questioned.

_-That isn't all…once I find out who their officiants are, they will face severe consequences along with the shamans. Chief Goldva signing off.-_ With that, the screen went blank without any second words from Silva and Kalim. Immediately they dressed themselves in their capes, taking off with their winged familiars where the light began to fade.

* * *

Miranda landed on the ground, still possessed by her new energies, but exhausted from the previous attack. Kevin fell to the ground hard, more exhausted than Miranda was and overtaxed on his mana but still in Over Soul. He soon climbed to his feet, both of them at a struggle to keep their Over Souls. Miranda already lost her Over Souls with the Dragons and was left with Yami Marik burning her sword. Miranda and Kevin breathed laboriously while staring each other down, their Over Souls beginning to flicker.

Ultimately, Kevin shifted forward first and fell to his knees, his Over Soul winding down to nothing. Once Miranda saw that Kevin's Over Soul dissipated, she let Yami Marik from her Over Soul to save her strain. "Looks like…I won, Kevin…" She wheezed out before her knees gave way and she fainted from exhaustion. Kevin watched Miranda collapse and tried to get to his knees.

"She collapsed…did she win?" He asked.

"I'm afraid so. Your Over Soul flickered out first." Raquiez said, "Now we must leave. You need to rest up and train to ensure your next match a victory. We'll let the winner have the sleep she deserves." Raquiez helped Kevin to his feet and took the Buster Sword from him. They both disappeared into the forests, Miranda twitching back to consciousness and lifted her head from the ground. Yami Marik kneeled next to Miranda while she gradually came to her senses.

"Miranda, are you OK?" He whispered. Miranda winced and groaned, soon feeling the pain in her left arm. She clutched her forearm fast. "Miranda?"

"Yami Marik?" She wheezed out as her eyes returned to their green color. "Find my Oracle Pager…and tell me the ending result please…" Miranda requested. Yami Marik nodded and looked nearby to find her Oracle Pager, lying on the ground with a blank screen. Miranda rolled onto her back for easier breathing. "What…does it say?"

Yami Marik looked at the Oracle Pager when he found it, his stare as blank as the screen he was looking at. "It's blank, nothing on it, and it doesn't look like it was active since it went off to begin the fight." He said. Miranda gasped on his word and watched two figures circle the clearing. In minutes, both figures landed; one in front of Miranda and the other landed to begin walking about the battlefield.

The one before Miranda squatted down to the ground. "We're of the Patch Tribe Shaman Council. Are you all right?" He asked calmly. Miranda tried to lift herself up, soon getting aid from him until she sat up on the ground.

"I…I think I'm ok…just tapped out…" She answered. "If I had the strength in my voice, I'd chew you out for your absence." Miranda winced and held her left arm.

"A shaman fight was here, unauthorized. Silva, there's only one shaman here." The observing Patch stated.

"Try and find the other one, Kalim. I'll take her to Chief Goldva." Silva said and helped Miranda to her feet. She didn't resist, just shocked to get this after her second match. Silva asked her, "Miranda, right? Who's your officiant that failed to show up?" Miranda was hesitant to answer.

"My Officiant was Chrom. Then in my first match, Stelet said Chrom was killed so he had to be the only referee for that match." Miranda said, Silva flinched when the name came.

"You…you were also one of Chrom's shamans?" Silva stammered. "I thought we got everyone that was on Chrom's list and we missed you? Goldva's going to be ticked…" Kalim came from the forest surrounding.

"Silva, the other shaman is nowhere to be found; looks like we're reporting to Goldva with just one shaman this time." Kalim said while approaching Silva and Miranda.

"This time? What are you two talking about?" Miranda asked, still struggling for breath from exhaustion. Kalim gathered Miranda's Pager and God Card and Yami Marik withdrew into the tablet.

"We'll explain later, after you explain why you involved in an unauthorized Shaman fight. Who was your opponent?" Silva threw the question at her.

"The name that appeared on my Pager was Raquiez, but I fought a different shaman, Kevin." She answered. Her knees buckled and Silva had to hold her with his arms under her back and knees; he was deep in thought with his eyes gleaming under his headband.

"The same story as before too…at least we have a name of this Raquiez's substitute now." Silva sighed.

"Not if any of that matters at the moment." Kalim said and called forth his winged familiar. "We can't keep Chief Goldva waiting. She can recover her strength when we get there." Sliva nodded and his own Silver Wing grasped his shoulders.

"This is going to be a rough trip…" The eagle cawed and flapped its wide wingspan, taking Silva and Miranda into the skies.

* * *

Raikoukou's pacing would run a circle into the floor, Montoya trying to contain his intolerance through the time of Miranda's absence. "Raikoukou of the Blue Lightning, Miranda—is fine." Montoya said firmly. He was replied with a sparking glare from the fox's eyes.

_How can I have confidence when this only her second match? I just don't feel that this is right, Montoya. She's been gone for three hours._ Raikoukou concerned herself.

"She's probably just started to walk back, Rai. Calm down, you've been this high-strung since the second she left." He groaned.

_Would it make a difference that I said I lost track of her electromagnetic field ten minutes ago?_ Raikoukou snapped into his attention quickly. _This being your laboratory, you ought to know some science. You must know that every living thing, and electrical machinery, has a distinct electromagnetic field. I as an elemental demon of lightning can sense those fields, and I've been around Miranda long enough to know even the slightest change in her field._ Raikoukou explained and nailed on Montoya's last nerve.

"Alright!" Montoya stood up and slammed both of his hands on his desk; his head hung low from his shoulders with a glare of his own to the fox demon. "We…will go find Miranda… But if she is perfectly fine, you are going to have one sleepless week in the Hell of Noise." He said plain out and adjusted the fedora on his head. Instantly the fox bolted out in her signature Blue Lightning. Alone, Montoya sighed but still made his way out of Pandemonium, his eyes running over Miranda's desk and her items that were left.

The Blue Lightning bolt landed north of Domino, adding smoke to the cinders of the ground. Craters were everywhere, each with massive traces of mana. Raikoukou slowly paced further into the middle of the clearing. Montoya showed up soon after, "This is where you've sensed Miranda last? She couldn't have died here, no remains at all and no traces except the mana craters."

_But it isn't her mana. These traces are from a more malicious sort, probably from her opponent…_ Raikoukou kept to examining the ground. _There's so much of it I can't find any traces belonging to Miranda. Nor can I get her scent… Should there be this much ground damage in a preliminary fight?_

"As far as I know, not enough to get the entire city's attention." Montoya answered and pointed to Domino, awake and full of lights. "And by these craters, all I can say is this fight was poorly if not supervised." He waited a few moments to satisfy the demon. "So you're right, something did happen to Miranda. Question is _what_ happened here and long after it."

Raikoukou still concentrated on the craters for at least a half-hour, going about the clearing twice and found nothing. _Where is she?_ She angered herself. _I know she is not dead so where is she?_ Montoya caught on to the fox's frustration.

"Can you sense her Guardian Ghost anywhere?" Montoya asked.

_Yami Marik is not here either but…_

"Why do you think they're called Guardian Ghosts?" Montoya puzzled Raikoukou. "A Spirit Ally such as Yami Marik would keep Miranda safe and know whom to trust to help Miranda to safety. As far as I know, Yami Marik is power-hungry from time to time and Miranda is his only way to get the power. He'd be able to keep Miranda safe if she got into any trouble."

_I guess so…_ Raikoukou lost her full form and came back to the size of a fox pup. She followed Montoya from the clearing and back to his apartments.

"Look on the bright side; you brought me out for _something_." Montoya said casually. "Answered one question, but raised several others."­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

Slowly, Miranda gained more of her bearings in the night skies, carried in Silva's arms. Her hair whipped about her face, red strings flickered in the moonlight. Silver Wing glided straight ahead over the fading towns and into desert lands, wings pounded over them in intervals. Silver Wing cawed, "We're almost there…yeesh, she's in worse shape than the last one."

"We just need to send her to Chief Goldva immediately." Silva replied. Soon amber light signaled their descent and both officiants landed on their feet. Silva let Miranda stand on her own, but kept a firm hand on her shoulder. "My apologies, but we need to keep constant eye on you while you are here." Even with recovery, Miranda was still lost as to what was going on while Kalim was handed her material possessions that made her a shaman: her sword, mortuary tablet, The Winged Dragon of Ra, and the Oracle Pager. Silver Wing withdrew back to one of Silva's rings and the three began to march on foot.

Teepees and campfires were scattered about, several men dressed similar to Silva and Kalim stared at Miranda without question and none of them said a word while they walked through. Children ran about in play until they spotted the solemn march. Two of the children, twin girls probably five years old, ran forward towards Silva; he gave a smile before his eyes went hidden under his headband. They stopped and watched the three keep moving deeper into the camp.

They came to the mouth of a large cave with totem poles on either side of the entrance. Miranda was still ushered by her shoulder to move inside. She eyeballed back to see Silva and Kalim breathe sighs of relief but kept moving though the dark hall. Light began to rise on the other end and Miranda gulped dryly. Totem poles surrounded the end of the cave in an ornate pattern behind electronic devices of the same theme. Floor mats were already in place on the dirt ground in a triangle and Miranda was forced to sit on her knees on the mat closest to the devices. Silva and Kalim kneeled behind her, slightly nervous.

"He knew we'd only bring one again?" Silva whispered.

"Lucky guess, Silva, considering the last time Raquiez's substitute evaded us." An elderly voice replied. Miranda's gaze that was previously averted fell on to the voice's owner. She was kneeling before an elder dressed to be seen obvious as one of the highest ranks. Gray hair hung long under a wide headdress of feathers and leather cloaks. "I am Goldva, Chief of the Patch Tribe and Head of the Grand Shaman Council." His wise eyes watched Miranda constantly once she made visual contact, making her as pale as the Patch behind her. Her breath went shallow and anxiety took over, her mind raised with grim thoughts.

The elder kept his eyes on her, soon rested a hand on her shoulder. "You are the second shaman to face Raquiez?" He asked. Miranda nodded slowly with her heart racing something fierce. "You must calm down, young shaman. You're only here in regards to what happened tonight." He tried to assure, looking at the wound still trickling blood steadily. "And to get that healed. You've taken much damage tonight."

Quick words escaped Miranda in a single second and a harsh whisper. She hung her head low in front of him, still in a panic. Goldva's stature matched that of Miranda's kneeling height but couldn't understand her and looked down on Miranda. "What did you say?" He asked, sounding less imitating as Silva and Kalim seemed to describe.

"I-I-I didn't want to f-fight him…" Miranda stuttered, though more audible in her speech, and protecting the identity of a friend. "I-I didn't want him to fight in this t-tournament. He doesn't know w-what he's getting himself i-into. He wouldn't listen to m-m-me, and I c-couldn't injure him-I had to hold back." Miranda's panic reached dangerous heights, especially with a sliced wound that hasn't began to heal. A soft melody drifted through the cave, a song guided by winds over hollow pipes began to soothe Miranda's stressful manner. Her breaths grew longer and the red in her face faded.

Goldva set a flute made of small, hollow pipes made of stick by his side. "So that is why you've taken so much damage…" He seemed to sympathize.

"I knew he could not manage himself as a shaman ever since our encounter with Buster Blader at the museum." She began, "But when I fought him tonight, he seemed different. By far, stronger and managed that same Buster Blader to be his spirit ally; but, his aura was darker, more malicious and merciless."

"I see… But we of the Patch Tribe cannot afford to take the chances." Goldva turned his back on Miranda. "Who is your officiant? He will be dealt in the same punishment as you." The screen in front of Golva lit up to Miranda's status as a shaman. The name identified next to the officiant was Chrom. Goldva's eyes bulged with shock and looked over his shoulder. "We…have made a grave mistake… After Chrom's passing, we assigned his shaman to other officiants. You are the second shaman we've missed in the assigning, first being Ren Tao. Because, of this, your fight went unaware of our eyes. Records were previous that we had a Raquiez but lost contact with him right after his preliminary round and no data of him since. Even with his mentioned upbringing twice, we have not been able to track him."

"However the first shaman to face Raquiez's substitute was disqualified." Kalim pointed out, "Fairly, Miranda must be made to forfeit as well."

"Only because that shaman contributed to the ground damages; Miranda was constantly on the receiving end of those blows. Why should she be disqualified if she was only in self-defense?" Silva tried to argue. Miranda was still trying to calm herself with Goldva glaring at the two attending Patch.

"I believe this has gone beyond my reach for the final decision, we shall turn to the Great Spirit for Miranda's further participation." Goldva stated and retrieved Miranda's Oracle Pager from the table. Yami Marik leaked from the mortuary tablet by it and came to Miranda's shoulder as Goldva made his way to the big screen in front of them. He plugged the Oracle Pager into the computer and began to chant. Miranda struggled to keeper herself together, even with Yami Marik's assurance.

In moments, Goldva looked to the screen of the Oracle Pager and began to read from it. "_Second Round vs. Raquiez: Victorious. Status: 1-1_. By the Great Spirit's Will, you have proceeded to your final match. We do not question the Great Spirit's decision." Goldva unhooked the Oracle Pager and returned it back to the table.

Miranda sat dumbfounded, and her mouth drew to a grateful smile and the weight broken from her shoulders. She soon realized the stream coming from her wound and looked back to Goldva.

"You will stay within the Patch Tribe camp tonight." Goldva stated, "You are in no condition to return back. Again we give you our deepest apologies for our ignorance to your presence when Chrom was struck down."

"Please, just do what you can. I might have been missed because I have been training under Montoya in the demon world a few weeks back." Miranda replied. "Rai should be with him; please send a messenger to Rai or Montoya." Goldva nodded and gestured to the attending Patch. Silva came forward and assisted Miranda to her quarters for the night.


	16. Montoya's Second Prelim: IllFated Fight

Author's Note: From the long postpone of Shaman Tournament (mostly due to author having character-interaction issues) my co-author Man Called True has written the majority of this chapter. So I thank him greatly to rekindle the Shaman Tournament's progress as a fic . Enjoy!

**Montoya vs. Hengist: Ill-Fated Fight**

Rai lied on the desk, protecting the three empty mortuary tablets and the beaded necklace from her first human owner. She was curled up in her tails, stray crackling from sparks originating from her weeping over her missing owner.

_I promised them. I promised Kikaita and Tsunami I'd protect her… I've failed them…_ She repeated herself through the night and most of the day.

While she was talking in sleep-telepathy, Montoya placed a psyche-shield spell on Rai after an hour of annoyance. He had his own problems to worry about.

His fight was next, against someone whom he'd hope he didn't have to face in the tournament. Montoya's hands trembled over his studies that were too distant to distract him while the hours ticked away. He closed his book shut and stood up from his desk, capping his head with his fedora and shoulders shielded over with his cape.

He looked to the far corner of his desk, where a chicken wing lay cold and untouched on a plate. Next to it was Yaril, staring terrified at the Oracle Pager.

"Lost your appetite, too?" Montoya asked his caller demon. Yaril nodded and hovered up to his perch on Montoya.

The demon summoner made his way out, running a finger in between Rai's ears as he passed. "You better come with me back to the apartment. I'm going to be locking my lab up and you won't be able to get out, not even in your lightning form. You can keep those here until Miranda returns," he said.

Rai nodded and followed close to Montoya's heels.

Outside the Hells, Montoya and Rai stood on the slate as it began to elevate into the atmosphere border until the real world returned to them.

Rai instantly felt a spirit and darted to the window; a raven had a scroll in its black beak waiting on the apartment's bench. _Montoya…we have company…_ Rai advised.

Montoya looked out the window to see for himself and opened the door. The raven fluttered about the living room after dropping the scroll into his hand.

"Message from the Patch Tribe…" Montoya had a flicker of curiosity while unrolling the message and his eyes skimmed the note. "Miranda's second match was unauthorized…"

_What!_ Rai sparked, zapping the raven and made it hit the carpet in a heap of spirit feathers; the raven exploded and vanished.

"That's what the message said. The Patch officiants stationed in Domino Town took Miranda into their custody and she stands in decision before the Head of the Grand Shaman Council, deciding whether or not she can proceed further." Montoya read further. "Also, they're keeping her to heal her injuries. She will be back with us tomorrow - her injuries were severe."

Rai didn't feel relieved. _Where are they keeping her!_ She growled with electricity surrounding her body.

"Now's the time I don't need to worry about that," Montoya said, "If you want to make a frantic search, be my guest. I have more important matters to take care of." He lifted his arm to glance at the Oracle Pager. "Domino High School. That's all the way in the south of Domino…"

_More important matters? Like what?_ Rai questioned.

"My second round…it's not going to be pretty," the demon summoner answered, slightly going pale again of his own anxiety. "I'm fighting someone more powerful than me."

Yaril shuddered. Montoya took his strides out the door, after adjusting his fedora to shield his eyes.

* * *

The demon summoner wandered through the streets, not even his cape catching any attention as he walked. His thoughts drifted around his mind… thoughts a demon summoner should never have brooked in the first place, but ones haunting him little by little since the day he'd brought Miranda to the Three Hells.

_Having her around… it's a change from my usual focus on the denizens of all the thousand Hells I know of…_ He sighed. _But I can't let it get closer than that. Being close to those around me gives the demons a million ways to strike back. And yet…_

He stopped and kicked himself in the ankle. _Damn you, Montoya! You'll be forty years old in two years, and she's still going through puberty! She is your ward and _nothing_ more!_

Yaril stared at his partner, and the human sighed again. "It's nothing, Yaril. Just a few stray fears concerning Miranda, but I'm certain she's in good hands with the Patch. Whatever her battle was like… it's nothing compared to what _I'm_ walking into…"

By that point, Montoya had arrived at Domino High School, and he waited outside the building, leaning against a lamppost. The wind caught his cape and billowed either side of it; a chilly gust tried to take his hat off, but he caught the fedora with one hand and held onto it.

A glance to the Oracle Pager revealed that the demon summoner had half an hour before his next battle would take place. Montoya shut his eyes and tried to compose himself, but he couldn't forget when he'd met his opponent the first time…

* * *

In 1983, Bonn was still the capital of West Germany, the Berlin Wall still stood, and few visitors bothered to stop by the city.

One of the exceptions was a young Spanish man, holding onto a German phrasebook and with another, older book under one arm. He looked very confused, but this was where his father had said to come.

Stopping a passerby, he flipped open his phrasebook and haltingly said, "Where is the… Belial's Eye bookstore?"

"Down three blocks and to the right," the passerby said. It did not escape the young man's notice that the passerby performed the sign against the evil eye as he walked away.

One who was trained as a demon summoner could not miss the Belial's Eye bookstore. It was covered in symbols that meant nothing to the inexperienced eye, but were magnets to those who had the right teaching.

Steeling himself, the young man opened the door… and was instantly held at gunpoint by several men in black robes. One yanked him inside, and another slammed the door shut.

A man with absolutely colorless eyes stared into the eyes of the Spaniard and demanded, "The public ais forbidden to enter – we have made that clear. Who are you, and what reason do you have for entering this place?"

Holding his questioner's gaze, the young man took on his future name for the first time: "You may call me Montoya." He then took a breath and said, "My father's notes told me of your group. I have come to study alongside you."

There was a pause, and then every one of the gathered men began to laugh, lowering their guns as they mocked the boy. A snap of someone's fingers brought the laughter to a halt.

From the back of the room, an older man in the same robes as his compatriots stepped forward. He pushed the colorless-eyed man out of the man, looked over Montoya, and then offered his hand.

Nervously, the young Spaniard took it.

"Welcome to the group, Montoya," the older man said. "I am the leader; you may call me Hengist Svom."

* * *

Overhead, Montoya could hear the familiar sound of Stelet coming in for a landing. Turning, he nodded to the officiant. "Tonight will be a dangerous night for us all, Stelet."

"Why is that, Montoya?" the Patch tribesman asked.

"Because it is a battle of two demon summoners. I suggest getting far away and steeling your nerves."

Stelet's eyes narrowed. "The first warning I can understand," he replied, "but why the second?"

Sighing, Montoya drew his sword. "Because odds are good one of us will be dead before this battle has ceased."

A third figure arrived on the scene of the impending battle. Aside from the rings and the blankets, this one could have passed for a white man… but on closer inspection, his color was simply from sheer fright.

"Bronsen?" Stelet asked. "What's wrong? You're as pale as a snowshoe rabbit in winter…"

"We need to get away," Bronsen replied. "This fight will be extremely dangerous! We have to make sure innocents don't enter the area!"

Stelet frowned. "Montoya said the same. I suppose he wasn't exaggerating, after all…"

One last person entered the area. This one made Montoya's blood run cold in his veins. A hooded clad draped over his head as he entered the schoolyard to face his opposition. Even in the darkest shadow, Montoya recognized him.

Around the hooded figure's body, a lithe snake made of energy slithered around his body. It looked to Yaril and hissed.

Yelping, the caller demon tucked itself under Montoya's cape.

Now the hooded man lowered his hood. After all the years, time had never touched his face. He still bore the slate-gray eyes, the thick white hair, and the aura of true confidence in his power.

"Hengist Svom…" Montoya whispered.

* * *

The year was now 1986, and the man calling himself Montoya had studied with the cabal of demon worshippers in Bonn for three years now, growing in experience and power over that time. He had swiftly proved to be one of Hengist's best students; when he joined the cabal, he was barely familiar with summoning grunt and soldier-class demons, but now he could call upon minor lords - an amazing feat to learn in just three years.

This, of course, invited jealousy.

Tucked into a chair in his quarters behind the Belial's Eye bookstore, Montoya, now 20, was so engrossed in the text he was studying that he didn't hear the door slam against a wall. He did, however, hear a loud yell of, "Montoya, you bastard!"

Setting the text aside, he turned to look at the complainant. It was a member of the cabal he'd come to know as Runcipher, an Italian-born punk with messy black hair and a face like a moldy apple.

Standing up, Montoya stared at Runcipher, hands in his pockets. "What is the problem today, Runcipher?"

One of the demon worshipper's hands struck Montoya in the chest. "You interrupted my private time with the maid!" Runcipher yelled. "It was our special time and you broke it up!"

"She was asking for help," Montoya answered, swatting down Runcipher's hand. "Do you try to do that to every maid we hire? No wonder we can't keep one more than a month."

Furious, Runcipher stepped back and began to chant, the light shifting and bending around him. His hands moved into key gestures that Montoya did what he could to identify.

The air bent, and then a warrior demon stepped into view. It was fully twice as tall as Montoya, its body covered in blue scales and each scale bearing several scars. One hand held a massive diamond-edged sword, as wide across as Runcipher, and the other held a large shield. It glared down at Montoya, and then swung.

The Spaniard barely got out of way in time, and the blow decimated the chair he'd sat in moments before. Desperate for something to defend himself with, he snatched a summoning pentacle off a table.

_This won't help me,_ he suddenly realized in his panic. _These pentacles are useless without a sacrifice, and I don't keep a large stock of pigeons on hand! What am I going to do?_

Trembling, Montoya held out the pentacle, shutting his eyes and turning his head away. The warrior demon chortled, and raised its blade.

Suddenly, a massive surge of power came from Montoya's hands. He glanced at it, and uttered, "What the hell?"

The summoning pentacle shined a deep blue, confusing both the warrior demon and Runcipher. From its center reached a large hand, grabbing the warrior demon's chest and pulling…

…and a beastly creature, the demon of the pentacle, emerged in its full foul glory. It was covered in thick black fur, long iron nails extended from its hands, and it dripped foul fluids from its fangs.

Runcipher took several steps back. The warrior demon tried to follow suit, but the pentacle demon grabbed it and ripped it in half.

Before Runcipher could escape, the pentacle demon grabbed his head and slammed it against a wall. The cabalist sank unconscious to the floor.

Even as Montoya dropped the pentacle in shock, the energy he was feeding it came to a halt. With a roar of satisfaction, the demon of the summoning pentacle disappeared in a cloud of acrid smoke.

"What the hell just happened?" Montoya muttered, kneeling in shock. He'd summoned a pentacle's demon with no sacrifices… and he'd controlled it the same way. One of the most vicious breed of demon, and somehow, he'd called and controlled it apparently through sheer terror.

It took him a week of study in the cabal's libraries before he found his answers.

"'Throughout human history, a type of people known as shamans have existed throughout the centuries to sought matters, personal and political, by calling forth spirits to guide them,'" Montoya read from a very old text he'd found in the library. "'Through this medium, many of the important decisions of history were made. But as centuries passed, technology grew and the powers of shaman began to fade into history. Today, most "normal" people fear and misunderstand them.'"

Montoya paused. _So… am I a "shaman"? Do demon summoners qualify? _He skimmed ahead a few pages. "'A tournament is held every 500 years among shamans. It is the ultimate tournament where the victor is granted undisputed power by merging with the King of Spirits, and able to do anything imaginable. This Shaman Tournament is hosted by the Patch Tribe, a clan of Native American shaman guise in the United States' Indian reservation.'"

_This makes little sense. What happened to me that day?_ Montoya thought. He then found the section he was looking for: "'Shamans have energies called mana. Mana is used to manipulate their Spirit Allies at will. Each shaman has a key spirit they pair up with in combat. Shaman use mana to fuel their partner's abilities; the shape, type, or power of the partner is endless, as are the shamans themselves.'"

_So… that was mana… _To Montoya's frustration, the text's section on shamans ended there, and it went into a discussion of voodoo/vodou/vodun. His questions on the specifics of mana and Spirit Allies went unanswered.

Suddenly, a hand-written note on the text caught Montoya's eye. "'The next such tournament will be in Domino, Japan'… that's Master Hengist's handwriting."

The Spaniard nearly leapt out of his skin when he heard Hengist's voice behind him: "So Runcipher was telling the truth about what happened that day."

Turning, Montoya bowed his head. "Hello, teacher."

Hengist picked up the text, flipping through it. "Ah, you found the one text on shamans we have in this place," he said. "But I'm afraid most of the cabalists here are mere mortals; you won't learn much on your newfound abilities by staying here."

Numb, Montoya merely nodded… and then Hengist took his hand, opened it, and pressed a plane ticket into it. Baffled, Montoya read the ticket's destination. "Colorado? You want me to go to the United States, teacher?"

"The next Shaman Tournament is in eighteen years," Hengist answered. "If you want any hope of understanding your power by then, the Patch will be your best answer. Begin packing, my student; your time under my tutelage has ended for now."

Montoya bowed low. "Thank you, teacher."

* * *

The two demon summoners, the teacher and his former student, stared across at each other. Both Oracle Pagers beeped with their two-minute warning.

"Let's get out of the way," Stelet said to Bronsen. The second officiate eagerly agreed, and they flew upwards, landing atop the high school.

"So…" Hengist smiled, although the cracks showed through. "How have the years gone for you, Montoya?"

"Fairly well," Montoya answered, putting on an equally false smile. "I've kept busy… and you?"

"Not bad at all. The Order of the Pit is waiting for your return."

"I'm thinking about rejoining after the tournament."

Hengist nodded, looking for the entire world like a badly-strung puppet. "That sounds like a winning plan."

The smile dropped off of Montoya's face like a shattered pane of glass. "This won't work, Hengist. Neither of us can pretend nothing's wrong."

Hengist's own smile evaporated, and he sighed. "You're correct, of course, as much as I wish it weren't the case."

"_You_ wish it weren't the case? I'm no happier about this…"

The Oracle Pagers beeped again, warning both shamans that only a minute was left before the fight began.

Pulling back the sleeves of his robe, Hengist revealed two iron armbands, puzzling his former student. "I only hope this ends without undue bloodshed," he said.

Readying his sword, Montoya began to concentrate. "You and I both know it won't," he answered.

_Beep… Beep… BEEP!_ And the pagers went off.

Montoya immediately completed his Oversoul and declared, "Demon Rush!" He waved his blade, and a cloud of grunt demons approached Hengist.

"Einlanzer! Into my armlets!" Hengist declared. His supporter demon did as ordered, and with one wave of his hand Hengist floored the Demon Rush.

Montoya stood back, sword down. _What is he going to do?_

Drawing in his willpower, Hengist began to chant, the sky above them roiling. "Zm frk su Ashmodai ws Z xvqq jst. Qkf frk mzmk dvfkg su wvnmvfzsm yk slkmkw, vmw v mkc khv su wvhpmkgg ykdzm. Z rkhkyg yhkvp frk xrvzmg frvf yzmw jst, vmw hkitkgf frvf jst hzgk fg frzg kvhfr, fs gzmp vqq frvf cvg vmw kekh czqq yk zmfs nvwmzgg vmw fkhhsh. Xsnk msc, vg Z frk mvnk... Zykagos."

Montoya gasped, stumbling backwards. _It cannot be! That chant… he can't be summoning a Greater Demon Lord!_

But it was so. The world seemed to fade around them, leaving only Montoya, Hengist, and Yaril. From the ground between the two, a giant hand rose up. It set itself on the ground and pressed, and soon an impossibly giant figure came into view. It dwarfed the Domino High School building, and supported itself on four mammoth legs. For all intents and purposes, it seemed to be a green-skinned, one-eyed centaur, with a pair of leather bands across its chest and three horns sprouting from its head.

Zykagos, one of the Greater Demon Lords, roared at the top of its lungs, and the din could be heard everywhere in town.

Montoya looked up… and up… and up. He then dropped his sword and jaw simultaneously. _So… how in the name of every one of the Demon Lords am I supposed to FIGHT this creature?_ He tried to concentrate, but it was next to impossible.

"Strike him down!" Hengist commanded, swinging his arm down.

One of Zykagos's great fists descended on Montoya's location. The demon summoner barely jumped out of the way in time, thrown aside by the shockwave of impact. His sword landed next to him.

On top of the school roof, Stelet and Bronsen flipped to Hengist's stats on their own pagers… and both gasped. "7,000 Ghost Power? This isn't possible, Bronsen!" Stelet cried.

"I'm afraid it is," the other officiate answered. "It costs him half his mana to call Zykagos, but it's far stronger than anything the other shamans can throw at it. Last time it was only 6,000 Ghost Power - it's gotten stronger."

On the ground beneath them, the shaken Montoya checked to make sure Yaril was all right, and then rose to his knees, retrieving his sword. _The only way I can fight him directly,_ he thought, _would be to call forth my secret weapon… but I can't play that trump card now! If I do, how will I survive in the later stages? This is only the qualifier! I have to find another way._

Zykagos's fist came down again, and Montoya dove to one side.

* * *

The year was 1991, and Montoya had matured a great deal in those five years. The now-25-year-old demon summoner had learned much in America, to the point where he could synthesize an Oversoul using only the power of his mana. He was one of the rare shamans that did not count on a Spirit Ally for such power.

On returning home to Spain, the young man threw himself into his books, seeking a legend he remembered from his childhood. Once, his father had spoken of the Order of the Pit, the oldest group of demon summoners in the world… but he had not known where to find them. It was for this that Montoya searched the books, and he was certain he'd found it.

For this reason, the young man was riding through the forests of Russia on horseback, heading towards where he was certain the Order met.

Finally, near the base of a giant tree, he spotted something very unusual. Someone had carved a Danver's crossharp - a symbol used in conjuring circles - on the base of the tree. The point, however, was aimed wrong; instead of at the ground, as such a symbol was usually drawn, the crossharp was pointing to the east.

"That has to be a guidepost!" Montoya said to himself. He then shook the reins and galloped towards the east, yelling, "Hah!"

By sundown, he had found the crumbling remains of what was either a monastery or an army post. From the architecture, he guessed the former. He tied up his horse and stepped into the building.

Immediately, a tall man with twin scars on his face stepped into Montoya's way, yelling, "Crs kmfkhg rkhk?"

"V yhsfrkh zm frk grvwscg," Montoya said in the traditional reply.

Relaxing, the scarred man gestured towards the back of the building. "Frzg cvj, nj yhsfrkh."

They entered a hidden door, mocked up to look exactly like the stone around it, and entered a series of passageways. It was too dark to see how far they had gone, but Montoya was certain they were a mile below ground by the time the path leveled out again.

Several other people stood before a doorway, each of them armed with a summoner's pentacle and a knife. Montoya recognized the pentacles - all they needed to be triggered was a small amount of human blood.

"Prove your worth," the scarred man whispered to Montoya in German. "The guardians will only let those worthy of being an Order of the Pit member through that door."

Nodding, Montoya turned to the guardians. "Gtnnsm jsth wknsmg," he said.

Confused, the guardians whispered to themselves for a moment, and then as a group shrugged and set the pentacles down. All five slashed their palms with their knives, and blood dripped onto the pentacles.

Five pentacle demons, among the fiercest of all the creatures of darkness, emerged and howled for Montoya's head.

The Spaniard drew his longsword (a gift from another cabal member when he'd left for America), concentrated, and filled it with his mana. He then swung the sword once over his head.

His mana seeped into the bodies of the demons, and they looked at him, puzzled. He swung the sword again, and they flew to his side, awaiting his commands.

Pointing the blade at the guardians, Montoya asked simply, "Ws Z lvgg?"

As the guardians were curled into little balls out of fear, they took a moment to answer. As one, though, they yelled, "Lvgg!"

Montoya resheathed his sword, and as the mana faded, the demons returned to the pentacles. He stepped over the cowering guardians and waked through the door.

Shock hit him on the other side - in a stone chair in the center of the next room, Hengist Svom himself sat surrounded by other men and women. Looking up, Hengist smiled wide and said simply, "I've waited for your arrival for some time, Montoya."

The younger man lowered his head, almost blushing. "Finding this place was the hard part, teacher."

"You have no need to call me that now. We are brothers in the Order of the Pit, after all. Come… we shall prepare you for your initiation."

An hour later, clad in a robe of black linen and with arms bared, Montoya stood at the center of a chalked circle in the "ritual room" of the Order's headquarters. The initiation was about to begin.

Holding a scalpel in his hand, Hengist traced Montoya's elbows. "We of the Order of the Pit each possess a demon ally, a small solder-class demon who aids us in our work," he explained. "This ritual will call one to your side and bind it to you, so that it serves only you. Do you have one in mind?"

"My mana allows me to control demons with my spirit," Montoya answered. "For that reason, I wish to summon a caller demon."

"An interesting choice," Hengist mused, "but appropriate for you. Are you ready?"

Montoya nodded and shut his eyes.

The other members of the Order of the Pit began to chant, but in later years Montoya could never remember the words they recited. Nor could he remember the words Hengist spoke as he called upon the elements of the ritual.

All he could remember was a hot line of pain as Hengist sliced a circle around his elbows and a line down the back of his arm, the feel of his blood dripping onto the circle…

…and then, for the first time, his mind linking to an alien presence, but one that felt more familiar with each passing moment. He opened his eyes.

At his feet, a tiny demon was lapping up the spilled blood. It had light red skin, a long, pointed muzzle, two horns curling back from the top of its head, tiny wings, and a pointed tail - in fact, it looked something like a little gargoyle. As Montoya watched, it looked up at him, licking the last drops of blood from its mouth.

Confused, the demon summoner extended one hand. The caller demon flew up and landed on his palm, licking the blood from his arm.

"What is its name?" Hengist asked.

After a moment, Montoya said, "Yaril."

Yaril and Montoya looked at each other, and both felt an odd kinship. The kinship had yet to die, even thirteen years after their first meeting.

* * *

Sliding one hand under his cape, Montoya took Yaril out of hiding and checked on him. Even during his dodges, the caller demon was unscathed. He was terrified, but unscathed nonetheless.

"Good. You're safe, at least," Montoya said. He then danced out of the way just before Zykagos's fist smashed into the ground where he'd stood a second before. "I, however…"

At that moment, he noticed the positions of the three points where Zykagos's attacks had left permanent impressions on the pavement. They were at certain angles and certain distances…

A mad idea began to form. It was risky and guaranteed to fail, but it was the one option he had left – he couldn't summon anything strong enough to fight, and he couldn't risk his trump card on this opponent, so it was his last chance.

Mentally, he drew lines from the first three points to the next, hypothetical point, and then to the next, until he could see eight separate points in his mind's eyes. Now he had a plan.

Darting to the next point, Montoya waited for Zykagos to spot him, prepared to provoke the Greater Demon Lord if he had to. He didn't have to; the gigantic fist came down seconds later. It didn't hit him, though, as he'd spun out of the way seconds before impact.

Roaring, the demon extended its hand and began to fire bursts of energy from its fingertips. Montoya merely danced around them, his cape leaving a trail of where he had moved as he spun and whirled around the blasts. On dodging the last shot, he moved to the next point on his mental trajectory.

Above the battle, Stelet and Bronsen checked their Oracle Pagers; Stelet's was set to Montoya and Bronsen's to Hengist.

Stelet watched as the numbers for Montoya's mana kept decreasing. "Not good," he said. "As he dodges Zykagos's attacks, his body 'borrows' mana to keep him moving fast enough. He's down to 250 already – from 345 – and I doubt he can keep up that speed with less than 200 points…"

Meanwhile, Bronsen shook his head. "Hengist spent 450 points summoning that thing, and his Oversoul Power's at 450 – that's all that he has left. Why does he have all of his mana invested in his Oversoul?"

While at the next position, for the first time, Montoya got a clear view of Hengist. The elder demon summoner raised his arm…

…and to Montoya's horror, Zykagos raised its arm in exactly the same manner.

_That… that can only mean one thing,_ Montoya thought. _Hengist has formed a Spirit Link with the Greater Demon Lord. That means he controls it through his thoughts, but it also means that when I slay the demon… it will kill him as well…_

Shaking it off, Montoya thought, _There is no way around it. I must defeat the demon to survive._

His thoughts so distracted him that he barely got out of the way of the next attack before it shattered the pavement.

* * *

For twelve years, Montoya stayed with the Order of the Pit, growing in power and knowledge with each passing year, and moving from a simple demon summoner into the most powerful conjurer of fiends after Hengist in the Order. But by the end of those twelve years, the Spanish-born man was dissatisfied with the arrangement.

He had found all the wisdom the Order of the Pit could bring him, and his power was almost confined by their limitations.

When you have reached perfection as you know it, what else is there for you to find?

And so Montoya left the Order of the Pit and returned to his father's home on the Spanish plains, back to what he had left behind when he was a mere boy.

But when you have studied under one man for the great majority of your adult life, you cannot abandon it that easily, and so a constant stream of letters between the teacher and the student crossed Eastern Europe.

Finally, one crisp April morning in 2004, Montoya bent over his latest letter, adding the last lines. When they were finished, he read over them.

"'And finally, teacher, I have made all the travel arrangements necessary to go to Domino for the Shaman Tournament. This is the one chance I may ever have in my life of becoming strong enough to control El Diablo, so I must win. Once more I must thank you for pointing me towards the Patch – without your aid, I may never have unlocked my true powers. Sincerely, Montoya.'"

Satisfied, he folded the letter in half, slid it into the envelope he'd prepared beforehand, posted it, and returned to his studies.

It was perhaps two weeks later when the response landed in Montoya's mailbox. He handed the envelope to Yaril, who slit it open with one claw, and then took out the letter and read it.

He read it twice, and then set it down, distraught.

All the letter said was, "Be wary, my student. I will be in the Shaman Tournament as well. Pray we do not meet in battle." The signature read, "Hengist Svom".

Collapsing into a chair, Montoya shut his eyes and wished with all his soul that he might never have to battle his teacher.

The wish, of course, did not work.

* * *

The fist came down, and once more Montoya was not under it. It was the seventh point that Zykagos had struck.

Montoya put one hand on his hat, keeping it in place as he staggered to the last point. He hadn't even attacked – his Oversoul was active simply to keep him in the battle for now – but he was exhausted from the sheer effort of dodging all the blows coming his way, since even one hit would probably hospitalize him.

Both Hengist and his summoned demon were enraged. As one, they roared, "Montoya! Stop running and _fight_ me already!"

The Greater Demon Lord drew its head back, channeling energy into that one great eye and making the air crackle around it. The sky boiled as the monstrous being prepared to strike.

Montoya set himself on the eighth point and readied for the evasion.

With one roar, the demon let loose with its energy, the beam coming down like a blast from the heavens. It slammed into the ground below, turning the pavement into tar and lighting up the city like a nuclear blast.

But Montoya had dodged at the last second. The splash damage sent him flying halfway across the street, but he'd avoided the impact.

Stelet shook his head. "That brought him down to 195. He can't dodge like that again."

Looking to his own Oracle Pager, Bronsen gaped. "And Hengist is _still_ at 450!"

Slowly, Montoya rose to his feet, blood dripping from several cuts on his arms and legs. He staggered towards the first point, head down and cape fluttering in the night breeze. Not even sparing a glance at Hengist, he dropped to his knees in that first impact crater.

"So," Hengist and Zykagos said together, "will you attack now?"

"Yes," Montoya answered. "You know as well as I do that a demon summoner must always have a way to counter when a demon goes out of his control. I must thank you…" He smiled despite himself. "Your demon's attacks left traces of its mana behind. This will make things a deal easier for me."

He set his hands on the ground and concentrated, whispering, "Demon Slayer's Cage."

Both hands glowed blue as his energy seeped down through his arms and into the ground beneath them, spreading out amid the eight points. Lines began to be drawn from point to point, marking the octagon around them.

Atop the school, Stelet stared at the Oracle Pager, confused. "Montoya's mana just plummeted to forty points!" he declared. "This makes no sense!"

Bronsen shook his head. "I'm _still_ not sure why Hengist hasn't lost any since that summoning, so I can't help you."

Down below, Montoya relaxed, his body quivering after the massive output of mana he'd just performed.

Hengist, meanwhile, was looking around in abject confusion. The eight lines Montoya had just drawn were moving upwards, forming a sort of framework cage around the two demon summoners. The points of the octagons now began to extend lines across their interior, every point joined to every other by a solid line of light.

And then the centers of the two octagons joined with a beam of light, the beam passing right through Zykagos. The Greater Demon Lord let out a scream and froze in position; no matter what Hengist tried to do, his summoned creature could not move. The elder demon summoner began to sweat.

Climbing to his feet, Montoya picked up his sword, pulled down his hat, and began to climb up one of Zykagos's legs. His feet dug into the surface, his empty hand dug into loose scales on the demon's leg, and his sword hand jabbed the weapon into the demon's flesh each time he moved it. Despite his obvious exhaustion, Montoya moved at a good pace.

Now on the back of the demon, Montoya moved to where the beam pierced Zykagos's body. There, he found another octagon, similar to the ones surrounding the two shamans. Taking a deep breath, he whispered, "I'm sorry, teacher," and raised his sword.

"Montoya! You can't!" Hengist and Zykagos said together.

"I must," the younger man answered. With one loud, "HAH!" he grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands and drove the blade down into the octagon, finishing the ritual.

Even as his sword struck the demon, a massive beam of light descended from the heavens, slamming into Zykagos. The Greater Demon Lord shrieked, its cry of pain and fear tearing through the barriers between the human world and all the worlds of demons.

And then, its life finally at an end, Zykagos let out one final scream of agony and exploded. Unlike the usual death of a summoned demon, which merely banished it back to its home, this death was permanent, as Zykagos was bound to this world by Hengist's mana.

The explosion tore through Domino High School, shattering all the windows and destroying the bricks on the building's front. Stelet and Bronsen took to the sky, barely getting out of the blast radius in time.

Montoya was thrown through the sky, barely catching himself on his hands and feet instead of his back or head. He then fell over anyway, worn out.

But his Oversoul was still intact. He had not lost.

The smoke took several minutes to clear, during which time Montoya took advantage of the opening to get his breath back. Finally, he rose back to his feet and found his sword, resheathing it. He then moved to where Hengist had stood.

His teacher was there, prone and severely injured. One hand reached towards the sky, and the other was scratching at the pavement. He was saying something…

Montoya knelt, putting his ear above Hengist's mouth. He then groaned – everything his teacher said was gibberish.

"He's ranting," Montoya whispered to himself. "His spirit was destroyed when I killed Zykagos. My master is dying."

Raising one arm, Montoya looked to his Oracle Pager, checking on whether his victory was registered yet.

To his shock, the word "FIGHT" was still on it. The battle hadn't ended.

Stelet and Bronsen landed on the school's roof again, checking their Oracle Pagers once again.

"Montoya still has forty mana points," Stelet said, "so he's still in this. How about Hengist? The loss of the demon should have taken him out."

Bronsen shook his head.

"You're joking," Stelet muttered.

"I wish. Hengist still has one mana point. The fight won't end until it's gone."

Down on the street below, Montoya drew his sword and flooded it with mana, bringing it down hard on Hengist's armlet.

The sword bounced off. His blade couldn't cut through the steel composing the armlet.

Montoya simply stood there, in shock and in pain. Finally, he looked to the heavens and whispered, "Don't make me do it."

There was no answer. There was no choice.

Raising his sword, Montoya whispered one final message: "Goodbye, my teacher."

His arm plunged down, and his sword passed cleanly through Hengist Svom's heart. His teacher was instantly slain.

* * *

On June 3rd, 1997, Hengist Svom was wandering the halls of the Order of the Pit when he nearly tripped.

On taking a few steps back, the summoner gasped: he had nearly tripped over Montoya's bleeding, unconscious form.

Immediately, he brought the younger man to his chamber, bandaging his wounds and setting him in his bed. For the next three days, he did everything he could to care for the severely injured man.

At the end of that time, Montoya finally awoke, groaning in pain as he did so. He looked up from the bed and saw Hengist, sitting beside him with a damp cloth.

"Teacher? Where am I?"

"You're in my room," Hengist answered. "I found you covered in wounds and out cold in the hallway three days ago. What happened?"

Closing his eyes, Montoya thought back to that time, and then answered simply, "I found the name."

"You what?"

"I found the name…"

Hengist took Montoya's hand and clasped it between his own. "Congratulations!"

* * *

As Montoya kneeled by Hengist's body, the Patch officiates descended from the school roof and walked up to him. They looked between him and the corpse, not saying anything.

"I had no choice," Montoya said quietly. "He was dying slowly… and I couldn't let him suffer…"

Stelet nodded, raised a hand, and announced, "The winner is Montoya."

With one hand, Montoya reached out and shut Hengist's eyes forever. He then fell forward across the body and began to cry.

He hadn't cried in twenty-one years, but he cried now.


	17. Yugi vs Scossa: Fall of the King

**Chapter 17- Yugi vs Scossa: Fall of the King**

Eyes stared blankly at the image of craters still smoldering. Gloria stumbled back and fell on the hard floor, grumbling concededly of her perfect figure. Harlan couldn't help but drop his microphone with his jaw hanging open. "Tha-that's unbelievable mana power after two weeks from her first fight, she must have gone into some serious training." He murmured. The mana giant behind them chuckled grimly; both his servants turned to face him, paler than when they were watching the ends of the fight.

"You seem aghast at that power; almost discourage to see if you two can defeat her if she went to that again." He said, "If that is her peak of power, she's nothing more than the runt of the Zodiacs. However, it's smart not to estimate those that can tap into the full power of Yin-Yang the Eternal Dragon. Even within their bodies, that Dragon can possess their vessels and make his power known to the mortal plane. I should have known it's in the blood." His red eyes fell back onto the mirror behind him; the red bangs on the head of his kill seemed unusually lighter than before. "But I guess…like mother, like daughter. And like her mother, she will be dead by my hand." He sunk into his thoughts._ I know that a family bloodline can tap into Yin-Yang's power. But what your daughter has showed me, she doesn't just tap into Yin-Yang's power. In fact, Yin-Yang taps into _her body_ and let loose his own powers._ He concluded.

A fourth presence descended in the dark void with the image still projecting some light. The mana giant sighed out of annoyance. "I haven't forgotten, Scossa. Your next fight is tomorrow… And I trust you haven't forgotten about the consequences for if you lose _again_…"

Coming into the light, a mess of long black hair hid the eyes of his servant; a particle mask hid the face beneath. Draping clothes covered his body from neck to toe, obviously worn too big for the small man, and studded in small silver rivets all over his body and clothes. Around his waist looked like an inactive detonator with scraps of damaged toys on the chain that punctured his skin at the right hip. "I haven't, Master…" He hissed under the mask, his dilated eyes twitching from the pain of having rivets being stapled into his skin. "Tomorrow I will face Yugi Motou and overcome him in the biggest explosion yet."

"For your life, you have better win, Scossa. Other than Kravegh, you are to keep an eye on the shamans, especially the Zodiac." The mana giant stated and Scossa vanished away from the darkness.

* * *

Two weeks after his notice, Yugi headed for his second round. It was dusk in Domino and several landmarks of the town was under construction, assuming that they damages dealt from previous fights. He left a note for his grandfather, saying he'd be sleeping over with Joey for the night. It was fortunate that Joey was able to get the OK for it; but Joey didn't know about his next round. Since the pager's notice, Yugi was trying his hardest to find information on the name of his opponent. _Second round, under the West Entry Bridge, tonight._ The information the Oracle Pager provided kept running through Yugi's head. _My opponent is Scossa Welle? I still don't know who he is…_

It was all bad news, and just for being the second round of the preliminaries. Several days ago he heard that Yoh and Manta were severely injured in Yoh's second round and they were being hospitalized. Before that, almost three weeks from now, Miranda's house was obliterated in a mysterious explosion; and Miranda hasn't showed up since that night of her round. He feared the worst, he feared that his opponent might be just as dangerous.

As he walked by, the departing traffic rumbled across the road beside him. He just looked up when one motor came close: a motorcycle with a helmed rider that became known as Tristan by face. "Yugi? What are you doing out here? Joey and Téa have been looking for you." he said.

Yugi sighed, "I'm going to my second preliminary round of the Shaman Tournament."

"Alone?"

"Yeah, I don't need you guys to see what would happen."

"What do you mean Yugi?" Tristan asked.

"I've been told from Anna, that Yoh and Manta were sent to the hospital after his second round." Said Yugi, Tristan looked dumbfounded, "that's not all, Miranda went missing after her house exploded. That was her house on the news weeks ago and we haven't seen her since! This tournament is getting dangerous, even for bystanders. You shouldn't come with me." He warned.

"Are you serious?" Tristan wondered. No sooner did Joey and Téa arrive on foot and Yugi tried to argue to get them to leave. It didn't work, and Yugi led them to the bridge, the time reading on his Oracle Pager was 7:55pm, only five minutes before the fight began.

It was the same bridge Yugi remembered facing off against Slifer the Sky Dragon while Marik conducted the Rare Hunters through the powers of his Millennium Rod. He wasn't the first to arrive; someone waited under the bridge.

He leaned against one of the support beams, with black hair thrown all over the place across his shoulders and down his back; attire was poor with very loose clothing and a chain equipped around his waist, feet were just steel-toed slippers. He looked up, with a particle mask hiding his mouth and nose, a pair of heavy ear mufflers hanging around his neck, and silver studs stapled to his skin like body piercing, and in his hand he fidgeted with clipping and unclipping the pin of a grenade. "Are you Yugi Motou?" He hissed with the grenade disappearing from his palm and his motor skills going into inattentive spasms.

"I am, you must be Scossa Welle?" Yugi said, getting a nod in return. Yugi turned to his friends behind him, all of them looking weary. "You guys better get out of here while you still can." His request was yet a negative again.

"You kidding? We've faced scarier guys than dis." Joey boasted.

"You three better heed your friend's warning." An unfamiliar voice approached them. Finally came two more necessary people, the Patch Officiants. One of them was Yugi's officiant, Ironac; beside him was another officiant shaking inside his cloak and pale enough to be considered a white man.

"Ironac, what's wrong with him?" Yugi asked, looking at the other Patch Tribesman.

"Bronsen? He is Scossa's officiant." Ironac replied.

Bronsen looked up to the three accompanying friends, "You must get as far away from here as possible, save your own lives."

"Don't get your feathers ruffled, we aren't going anywhere except a few steps back to watch the fireworks." Joey said.

"We support Yugi, through thick and thin." Téa followed.

"Even if it's to the grave?" Scossa asked with his delight in his voice, energy building inside. "Let them stay if that is their answer." From the Millennium Puzzle, Yami rose in his image.

"You won't harm a single hair on my friends!" He declared.

Scossa snickered wildly. "An empty promise. For I intend to win this round, I have a price for defeat so losing is not an option for me." He said and waited until the Patch were out of the way, but the three wouldn't budge. "Looks like I'll make them move, there's one way to do it. Puppe! Come forth!" He commanded. Faintly everyone heard the crying of children, their groans of pain becoming louder as a figure came into view from inside Scossa's belt. Limbs of arms and legs hung by their joints in the figure; and faces were missing eyes, ears, noses, and even the bottom jaws. All of these pieces of human sown poorly together, like someone clashed half-a-dozen Frankensteins together.

Everyone was terrified and disturbed. Yugi's mouth hung open in shock, Téa covered her own in fear, and Joey and Tristan hung on to each other in quivering terror. Yugi finally found the words in his voice, "Wha-what is that spirit?"

Scossa was smiling so widely that his poor dental hygiene was appearing over his mask. "This is my guardian ghost, Puppe. They're the spirits of children killed in war in Russia, and fragments of their tattered spirits are as one to be my guardian ghost." Scossa briefed, making them even paler than before. The conglomerate of children moaned and cried, Scossa's dilated eyes twitched with annoyance. "Shut up brats!" He commanded from under the mask, the kids did as they were told and just hung in the air with dangling limbs.

_Beep beep beep!_

"Two-minute alert." Ironac announced.

"Guys, you have to get somewhere safe, now!" Yugi called to his friends. They nodded and the trio dashed up to the edge of the bridge where the stone incline ended. The Patch were on top of the bridge to get full view of the fight to come.

"Rough year for you, huh Bronsen? First Hengist and now Scossa; if I didn't know better, my guess would be that you were also Faust's shaman." Ironac chuckled.

"Skeletons, demons and bombs, I've had enough…" Bronsen shivered.

Ironac resisted from busting in laughter. "Someone has to test even the oddest of shamans."

Yugi gulped in anxiety. Even with the ghost silent, the moans from a dozen mouths were clear as lunchtime traffic. Yami stood firm despite his harmless afterimage to his host. "How can you have a spirit like that? Using innocent children as a tool for this tournament!" He boasted.

Scossa lean forward with his hands on his knees, evidently smiling behind his mask. He chuckled again, "I did not produce this spirit myself, nor did it come to me willingly. My Master gave it to me, so I cannot forsake my Master by losing again. Especially to inexperienced shaman like you." Scossa could barely contain his excitement of the next round as he began to bounce on his toes. The seconds were ticking away; the Pagers were beginning to sound off the ten-second alert. Everyone became tense; Yugi readied himself with his hand over his deck, Scossa kept loose as so it appeared.

"Four seconds." Ironac announced.

_Beep…beep…beep…_

Scossa pulled his ear protectors over his head. Yugi drew his first card.

_BEEP!_

"Yami! Spirit Form, into the Duel Disk!" Yugi commanded, his ally clashed into his deck and Duel Disk alike.

"Puppe! Spirit Form, into the detonator!" Scossa cried, his monstrosity of a spirit absorbing into his belt. Without a moment's hesitation, the second round began.

"I summon Kuriboh and Multiply!" Yugi cried as the numbers of tiny fiends grew by the second. "I'm ready for anything! Because when Kuriboh come in contact with an enemy, they explode!" Yugi threw a hand gesture and his army of Kuribohs charged.

Scossa rubbed his palms together with sheer ecstasy. "They explode? I live for it!" He bawled with hysteria of laughter as the Kuribohs made contact. The wonderful sound of gunpowder igniting bewildered him. "More, more, MORE!" The bombardment of Kuribohs only lasted a moment longer. Seconds afterwards, the smoke cleared and Scossa was still standing, trembling with excitement like a child on Christmas day.

Yugi was shocked. "No way! He actually _liked_ it!"

"I always do love the smell of ashes in the morning." Scossa rushed forward with a grenade in his right hand. He skidded to a stop and leaped back to throw the explosive.

Joey tried to argue the fight's opening moves. "Dat can't be legal! Using grenades! Dat's a low blow!"

"Those grenades are solid mana that Scossa spend to create." Ironac stated, "Bronsen, I believe you know this shaman better than I do?" The unnerved Patch nodded.

"Scossa's Over Soul focus is the detonator around his waste, so naturally creating Over Souls of bombs, grenades, and even warheads is the best offense. Whether that detonator is diffused or not is unsure to me." Bronsen advised.

The grenade didn't even make contact before exploding in a flare of impact, the loud bang of mana acting as gunpowder came with the squealing pain of his guardian ghost. Yugi felt the jolt and was thrown off his feet, sliding on his back to the concrete ground. It took him a bit to climb back up with encouragement from his friends.

"Come on! Down after one blast? That's my weakest attack!" Scossa insulted.

"Guess we dive in now." Yugi mumbled and pulled a card from his deck. "Yami, Over Soul! Obnoxious Celtic Guard!" He played another card with numbering Kuribohs still multiplying at an alarming rate, and divided with half as barricade, half to swarm Scossa in attempt to slow him down. Yami formed into the card's image, with the diamond blade sword gripped in his hands. "Hit him directly!"

_His Over Soul is his Duel Disk apparently…_ Scossa thought,_ Doesn't matter what his Over Soul is I will win!_ He waited for Yami to come out of the Kuriboh barrage and charged mana at his heels. He made the mana explode to make him shift right at the last second.

Yami waged a battle cry and struck down into the plume of smoke where Scossa was. "Did I get him?" He wondered as the smoke dissipated.

"YUGI! Behind you!" Téa cried. Just behind him, Scossa balanced himself on one hand with his feet swing towards Yugi. Just above the steel toe, Scossa gathered mana while he made his swing, aiming for Yugi's Duel Disk from the ground.

"Soccer Bomb!" Scossa declared and sent the mana bomb in Yugi's direction. Yugi had hardly any time to react, but Yami just barely came in between the bomb and his host with his blade to block. Regardless, the bomb exploded, and both ghost and host flew forward brutally damaged. Yami caught himself by his feet and spun around for a low swing on Scossa.

Scossa saw it coming and pressed both palms to the ground for a reactive handstand, small mana explosives formed in his hands and set them off instantaneously to send him into the air easily. Again Yami's swing was a miss as Scossa landed softly in front of the Kuriboh wall. He stood up on his feet and turned to stare at one of them, his black eyes to a Kuriboh's yellow eyes with purple irises. Going by reference previous, Scossa poked at it once. Kuriboh twitched and exploded in his face without traces of fur or any gory mess. He snickered with enjoyment while Yami helped Yugi to his feet.

"Are you all right, Yugi?" Yami asked.

"I…I think so. At least I hope I'll be." Yugi answered and pulled a card from his deck. "Mystical Elf, defense mode!" He declared as a female elf in a green gown appeared in front of Yugi. "Hopefully her magical strength of defense will nullify most of Scossa's attacks. You're my only offense Yami; I can't summon anything else without risking collapse from mana exhaustion. Be careful." Yami nodded and posed with his sword again.

All the while, Scossa kept poking at Kuribohs to watch them explode, his amusement evident from under the mask. "I might take up this silly game just to watch these things go boom!" Scossa commented with another spell of laughter following.

"Laugh at this Scossa!" Yami cried with his sword raised.

Scossa was still snickering as Yami was coming to him. "Oh I will, and with the right moment, irony will make it even funnier." Scossa took sharp dodges against Yami's rapid slashes and taking steps back to come out of his attack radius.

In the sidelines, it could be just as tense as the battle below.

"I don't think Gideon was this tough, I mean even with three armed puppets. But this sideshow freak is a ticking time bomb!" Tristan commented.

"Literally! Come on Yuge!" Joey cheered.

Téa kept to herself. _Win or lose, please be OK…_

The Patch Officiants were scanning the numbers of the battling shaman. "Yugi's grown in strength, two forms and his Kuriboh barrage, but both forms of cards are weak in attack." Ironac mumbled. Bronsen didn't look too happy and Ironac leaned over to see Scossa's numbers. "He's barely lost any of his points. But his explosions are powerful with how little is spent."

"A speck of gunpowder, no matter the quantity, is still dangerous when ignited." Bronsen answered with metaphor, "Scossa's mana is like gunpowder. Small amounts are powerful; it's a process every shaman would dream to have except the mana expansion lives for only a fraction of a second, the time it takes for a bomb to go off. Then the mana dies and it takes a while to recollect that mana no matter how fast the shaman recovers or how hard he trains."

"So when Yugi uses his Kuriboh, he's at risk of losing his own mana?"

"That varies. Summoning his Kuriboh takes even less mana than Scossa's bombs, so he can sustain a barricade and be left untouched. That is if the opposing shaman conserved his physical health." Bronsen tilted his head, "Scossa isn't one of them."

In the fray, Scossa fluently avoided Yami's attacks. His heel just touched one of the bridge's columns and he jumped to avoid Yami's final attack of his series. The blade wedged tightly into the concrete and Yami tried to pull it out. In between Yami and the column, Scossa stood perfectly on the blade like he was standing on a balance beam. Scossa's wide smile showed over his mask as he gathered mana under his heels.

_He's going to detonate!_ Yami thought fast and let go of the sword. Right at the second the mana exploded, making the column crumble from the middle out. Yami was thrown to the ground and Scossa sent himself into the air again.

"Yami!" Yugi called behind his Kuriboh wall. Yami recovered and looked up at Scossa going into a free fall. He saw Scossa hanging in the air over Yugi and grabbed his sword in hopes to protect him again.

His body curled in on itself and built mana up fast. "Crazy Destroyer!" Scossa opened up again and mana grenades rained down on the battlefield. The Kuribohs fell into position about Yugi and Yami to create a ceiling that rebuilt itself each time a Kuriboh was destroyed.

"Yami, the Kuribohs are keeping most of Scossa's explosions away." Said Yugi, "He should know that so why does he keep attacking?" Soon the explosions ended, and Scossa landed behind them with his head low and on his hands and feet.

"Above you and around you, those fun little things can protect you…" Scossa hissed, "But your defenses are weakening each time you have to make a new one."

"Then we end this and now!" Yami declared and charged forward with a handful of Kuribohs to protect him.

Scossa's eyes narrowed until they were black slits on his face and snickered under the mask. He reformed mana in his palms and threw at least ten grenades, each caught by a Kuriboh and called the attack stalemate, but left Yami without any defense.

_I'm too close to him to send another rain of grenades unless he darts around using the mana at his feet._ Yami figured and kept an alternating gaze between Scossa and his feet, waiting to strike after Scossa makes a move.

In sword's length, Scossa jumped back with mana at his feet and surprised Yami. Right where Scossa was, Yami replaced and the ground beneath him exploded like he hit a landmine. The ghost was thrown hapless into the air like a rag doll. The onlookers gasped.

Bronsen showed worry, "Scossa never made that move in his first match. He used his explosive mana to create a landmine just under the cement. He used the terrain to his advantage."

Yami lost it and the Celtic Guard attributes shattered from his form. Yugi paled in shock, "He attacked from below us!" After a second he shook it off, but felt the damage from Yami's ordeal. "Yami, get up!" he called, seeing that his Duel Disk still had a strong Over Soul. Yugi couldn't help but feel he needed to use one of his resorts. "I sacrifice Kuriboh and Mystical Elf," Yugi declared, the real Kuriboh vanishing and the rest followed after with the elf, "in order to play the Dark Magician of Chaos!"

Lights swarmed Yami and renewed his strength. His uniform turned black with four belts equipped around his chest by metal rings on his chest and back. More black belts tightened around Yami's arms and distinctive black marks became clear under his eyes. In his hand was a black staff topped off with a teal stone secured on the staff-head.

Scossa's shoulders slumped, "You ruin my fun, you know that?"

"You're fun is over! Oblivion Blast!" Yami commanded, sending a volt of magic from his staff right into Scossa. Scossa's fast movement sent him close to the river along side their fight ground another blast sent Scossa in the opposite direction.

Before Yami could attack with another third bolt, Scossa planted another mana landmine and used the attack to set it off. The explosive shaman twisted himself in the air until he was pointing back to the ground. Mana manifested around his body as he made a free fall become a nosedive. Everyone saw it from above, Scossa coming down like a nuclear warhead.

"Here it comes…" Bronsen groaned, "doesn't matter how you dodge a direct hit, you'll never escape the aftershock."

"Then we won't dodge." Yugi claimed and pointed to the human missile, "Yami! Defuse it!" Yami used the magic held within the Dark Magician of Chaos and levitated to meet Scossa face-to-face. The small audience was agape in shock as the officiants checked their pagers, Ironac checking on Yugi's and Brosen looked to Scossa's numbers.

"Scossa's bombardments are taking its toll." Ironac noticed, "Yugi is down in mana by 250: 100 just to offer and summon Dark Magician of Chaos."

Bronsen sighed of inevitable defeat for Ironac's shaman, "Scossa is losing his mana, but gradually because he stimulates his mana like gunpowder."

In spite the negative commentary, Yami was still going for it, he saw the warhead becoming visible around Scossa and forced all his magic into the head of his staff. With Scossa coming down in full velocity, Yami thrust in opposition and the heads collided.

There was a blinding explosion, enough to probably get attention from the border of the city. Everyone had to cover his or her eyes as time seemed to freeze in place. Any cries to check for anyone were overruled by the bang of mana eruption and children screeching, courtesy of Scossa's guardian ghost.

The explosion was so loud everyone thought they went deaf after a moment. Even the Patch who called upon their winged familiar to take them as high as they could had no dice to get sound back from the fight. Everyone still had eyes covered.

_Thud! Kink!_ There were two sounds after the explosion's deafening end. Téa opened her eyes first and saw the battlefield aftermath: Scossa was sprawled out on the ground, lying on his back and his ear mufflers off his head. Probably winded to hit the cement from that height and there was no secondary explosion mark that could slow his fall. His body was throwing off smoke like he was just on fire a moment ago.

Then she looked to Yami, kneeling with an exhausted breath and using his staff to keep himself upright. Yugi behind him was just as equally tired-his hands gripped his knees to balance his stand.

"Hey! Yugi did it! He defused Scossa!" Téa cheered, getting everyone's attention to open eyes again. Joey and Tristan poked one eye out from their hands, and then had their own cheer.

"Don't celebrate yet. This shaman fight isn't over." Ironac declared and pointed to Scossa who was twitching to consciousness. The damages gave everyone another reason to gasp other than another minute of the devastating bout: a piece of Scossa's baggy clothes was ripped, the left side of his waist was exposed, and the chain that was around his waist, was actually punctured into his skin…

…And the detonator showed signs of Over Soul, weak but Over Soul was Over Soul.

Scossa slowly got to his feet, allowed enough time for Yami and Yugi to brace themselves. The bomber began to stagger forward, his Over Soul flickering and the sound of children whimpering was low in volume.

Scossa came to Yami first, handling the staff to support his weak physical body with one hand and the other to pat Yami's shoulder. Yami, as well as everyone excluding Bronsen, were in deep confusion. Scossa found his position to stand straight and walked towards Yugi. Yami's suspicions rose fast as he held his staff.

"Yami don't! We just need to beat this guy, not to kill him!" Yugi commanded.

"Are you sure Yugi?" Yami questioned.

"He hardly has anything left." Yugi nodded, without further question Yami dropped his staff's attack position.

Bronsen was shuddering more than ever, even going as far as biting his own tongue to keep himself quiet. Ironac passed another blank glance, "Bronsen?" The fearful Patch officiant said nothing in response.

Scossa approached Yugi, limping with energy fizzling out. "The infamous Yugi Motou. Your rep precedes you, kid." He wheezed, offering to shake his hand.

_Well, it's the least I could do._ Yugi thought and accepted the handshake. Scossa grabbed Yugi's left arm and jerked him into an embrace of sportsmanship. Everyone was still lost in thought as to how the most disastrous of fights could have a subtle end, but Bronsen bit his tongue hard enough it began to bleed in his teeth.

Ironac glanced at his partnering Patch. _He knows something…_

Scossa patted Yugi's back, his other hand holding on to the Duel Disk. "The King of Games. Very well told. Maybe even the _Shaman _King of Games, who knows?" he complimented, "how often do I see someone defuse one of my strongest attacks? I know my previous opponent did but I think he got too damn lucky for his own good."

"Uh, thanks…" Yugi acknowledged. Scossa left the embrace and turned around to fetch his belongings, again coming within Yami's attack radius.

"What is going on?" Joey asked.

"Is Scossa forfeiting?" Tristan watched on.

Scossa stopped when his feet were right in front of his ear mufflers and bent down to pick them up. "The King of Games, does have a nice ring to it. Most people can't beat Kings, Warlords, and Masters. But it all depends with what they're Masters or Kings of. Either way, I know when I'm beat." Scossa rambled with words as he held the ear mufflers over his head and his spirit flame dying out like a lit fuse around his detonator. "And I know that in this fight…" he clapped the mufflers over his ears without turning around, "…I'm not beat."

Before the question rose, and right before Scossa last point of Over Soul physically vanished.

_BANG!_

"AAAAHHH!" An explosion caught Yugi completely off guard as Scossa's final mana bomb came from his Duel Disk in an instant. In reaction Yami clutched his chest tightly, and his Black Magician of Chaos outfit shattered, leaving again the translucent image he was.

"YUGI!" All three of Yugi's friends freaked out in absolute terror, from their point of view it was as if Yugi's arm was blown off from the rest of his body. Ironac also stood aghast, but Bronsen's headband shadowed his eyes as he found relief to breathe again. Scossa checked his Oracle Pager: the displayed _FIGHT _was replaced with _Scossa: 1-1_. He smiled with pleasure.

Bronsen raised a solemn hand. "The winner…is Scossa Welle." The said judgment, all three came to Yugi's side as Scossa walked away triumphantly. Yugi was out cold completely, his cards were scattered from what was left of his Duel Disk, and the arm of which the machine was equipped to was burned badly from the shorted circuitry with tattered sleeves.

"Yugi? Yugi please wake up." Téa tried to call in Yugi's coma. They all acted quickly.

"Tristan, get Yuge on my back. The hospital's not too far from here." Joey said, Tristan complied and helped the unconscious duelist to his back, brushing off the fact that Yugi's arm was bleeding onto his shoulder. Téa picked up as many of the cards that were intact and followed the boys out of the battlefield.

Ironac grimly looked to his partner. "You knew the whole time, didn't you?" Brosen nodded in response. Ironac understood the circumstances. "We must remain impartial, we cannot warn shaman of what we know, even if it does seem unfair." Ironac and Bronsen raised their hands and called forth their winged familiars to send them out of the area. "I'll keep an eye on Yugi until he makes it to the hospital." Ironac volunteered and the officiants split up.

* * *

Harlan couldn't help himself but to scream out in celebration, but the other two viewers looked irritated for the most part. Gloria was about ready to charge at the wild singer until she heard the Master's deep laugh. "As much as that wasn't the Zodiac, the fall of the King of Games was just as pleasing."

"It looks like your persuasion took to him, Master." Gloria agreed, trying to suck up to the mana giant. Harlan was quick to temper.

"Brown-noser." He mumbled.

"Dire Straits reject." Gloria spat back and the two stared each other down again, their spirits doing the same. The giant groaned in submission of the two's constant bickering.

Scossa limped in and dropped to one knee in front of the Master, evidently exhausted, "Second match…victorious…Master."

"So we've seen. This does make up for your defeat against that hippie by giving the King of Games the humility of his life and his body." The Master acknowledged, "however, your record is only 1-1, and we can't have you lose again."

"I promise you I will not lose again, just get these explosives off my skin." Scossa begged. On his body it was obvious that he was picking at a stud on his throat.

"I thought you liked bombs and gunpowder," the giant chuckled at his own remark, then grew serious again. "I will have your head if I see another loss, Welle." He agreed with definite threat and raised a hand to gesture another one over. A fifth presence entered with shifting plates of armor scraping against one another. Blood red armor reflected torchlight, the suit standing at least six feet in decorative formation and no skin revealing whatsoever, just a pair of violet eyes glowing out of a dark slot in his helmet. "Defuse him." The Master commanded.

Obeying, the suit raised a hand and mana manifested into a pair of long fearful pliers made out of his fingers. Inside the armor a voice snickered in a vile language, "Zf cvg utm fs gfzxp frkn zm. Kekm nshk utm fs ltqq frkn stf."

Scossa whimpered to himself, "Chyort…"

* * *

On a hospital bed, Yugi was admitted and his injuries were stabilized immediately. Under a light sheet, the only limb on top was his left arm wrapped from the elbow down and a few bandages on other various scratches. A cord was strung out from under his shirt, measuring his vital signs. The others were in chairs next to the bed, holding Yugi's possessions, his deck and jacket; the Millennium Puzzle was placed in Yugi's open palm.

The doctor previously groaned as Yugi was being treated, saying something about how recently they've been getting a rash of severe injuries, including a boy with a number of broken ribs. Soon after that all three of them saw Manta making a mad dash down the hall.

"Come on Yuge, wake up…" Joey moaned with hope.

"They had to know that was an unfair match! Why couldn't they give Yugi some other opponent?" Téa complained. Tristan was to himself, looking through the cards that were intact from the explosion.

Téa cried loud enough to get attention from the next room over and someone came in, Anna. It came as a surprise that Anna wasn't admitting the strong, strict aura, but more of a concern and despair feeling. She looked up and saw everyone around Yugi's bed. "He had his second round, too?" she asked, getting a bunch of nods in return. "Yoh's in the same shape, but conscious. What was Yugi's ordeal?"

"Some freak could make bombs out of thin air." Tristan answered.

"Out of his _mana_." Téa corrected, "Scossa tricked Yugi and obliterated his Duel Disk."

* * *

"Yugi? Yugi?" A familiar voice stirred Yugi to his subconscious. He was staring into the face of his guardian spirit as he managed to sit up from the carpet of his soul room. "Good, at least I can reach you within."

"What…happened Yami?" Yugi asked weakly. Yami tilted his head, instantly Yugi got the message. "We lost?"

"More than just the match. Your body needs to recover, that's why we can't reach you outside." Yami answered, Yugi looked down to the floor again.

"How bad off are we?"

"We lost the Duel Disk, and your left arm is in bad shape. But Joey and the others got you to the hospital safely after the match." Yami reported, trying to assure Yugi with the brighter of things.

"But with the Duel Disk gone, and if we can't get another one, what are we going to do for the final match?" Yugi asked. Yami gave it a moment of thought before answering.

"We don't need the Duel Disk to Over Soul. Sure we were attached to it throughout Battle City, but there is something closer to us than that." Said Yami. He looked down at his heel where a Kuriboh stood. "Our deck, and the monsters inside it. We didn't need Kaiba's Duel Disk, nor Pegasus' arena, to feel what powerful bond we share with them."

"Are you sure you can Over Soul each card?"

"It may take a little practice, and with what little time we have we need all the practice we can get." Yami answered, "We'll have to memorize every card and act as one to bring them out into battle and help us."

Yugi seemed uncertain, but it was still the preliminary rounds; one more win would let him qualify into the actual tournament.

* * *

Anna walked up to Yugi's beside. Her concern turned to rage, "Wake up! Yoh has broken ribs and he's conscious; you just have scorch marks!" As with a flailing hand slapped Yugi across the face and bringing him back to consciousness.

Yugi sprang up on his bed, gasping for air. "Hey what was that for!" He demanded, obviously he felt it before waking up. Anna huffed.

"You better get tough because you're jumping right back to training when you're released!" she shouted.

"Are you nuts, woman!" Tristan objected, "Yugi nearly got his arm blown off!"

"If it wasn't for my training that would have happened!" Anna argued back, the proven point silenced Tristan. "Can you get another Duel Disk, Yugi?" she turned to the injured.

"Actually, I was thinking of actually focusing my medium into the deck now that I don't have the Duel Disk to focus into." Yugi replied. Anna took a moment to herself to absorb the answer.

"All right, suit yourself. In the progress of two preliminary round you've shown progress as a shaman. I'll leave training to you, good luck in the third match." Anna briefed before turning on a heel. "I need to leave, Yoh is going to Izumo to extend his training."

"Izumo?" Yugi wondered.

"That's where Lord Yohmei is, Yoh will train under him for his third match against Ren." Anna answered, "Yoh will need this to go against this Tao." And then she left the room. Yugi and his friends just sat there for a moment in silence before…

"Tristan, what cards do I still have?" Yugi asked, Tristan began to flip through what remained of his deck.


End file.
